


Adamantium Laced

by asignoftwo



Category: X-Men (Comicverse), X-Men (Movies), X-Men (Movieverse), X-Men - All Media Types, X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
Genre: Badass Rogue, Evil Jean, F/M, Fluff, Jealous Wolverine, Minor Character Death, Rogan, Romance, how X3 should have gone...
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-03
Updated: 2014-08-14
Packaged: 2017-12-22 07:11:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 22,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/910380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asignoftwo/pseuds/asignoftwo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rogue/Wolverine version of X3! After a particularly long absence, Logan returns and his relationship with Marie grows even stronger than before. As Marie joins the X-Men a new enemy emerges, more deadly than the last. Will they be strong enough to overcome this new foe? ROGAN with the promise of a happy ending.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Only Thing

**Author's Note:**

> Alternate version of The Last Stand, because I really don't like a lot of that movie. Mainly, the lack of Rogan interaction. Sigh. Anyways, I hope I do these amazing characters justice. Happy Reading :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is mostly a fluffy Rogue/Logan scene, with a bit of an obnoxious, nosey Jean. Enjoy! :)

"It was always you, falling for me. Now there's always time, calling for me. I'm the light blinking at the end of the road. Blink back to let me know."  
-"Always" Panic! At the Disco

***

Marie D'Ancanto was a light sleeper.

That's how she ended up with Wolverine's lethal, adamantium claws in her chest two years back.

She had woken up to the sound of the huge tree by her room (she was lucky and had gotten one on the second story) scraping against her window.

That's when she realized why one of the coveted second story rooms was so quickly given to the new arrival; the damn tree kept everyone in the room from sleeping.

Groaning in frustration at being woken up when she had training early the next morning, the brunette threw the blanket off herself, intending to march to the Professor's room in the middle of the night to demand a new room.

Did they figure the new girl would just accept the reject room quietly? Yeah, they obviously didn't know her.

She got to the first floor when she heard the distressed noises coming from a certain feral mutant's room. She passed up his room, figuring it was none of her business. Then the memory of a masculine hand passing her an old package of beef jerky flashed through her head.

"Dammit." She muttered stopping her trek to the professor's room and turning to face the door to Logan's room.

She young mutant knocked.

No answer.

She reached for the knob, only hesitating for a second before entering.

And well, you know the rest of the story.

Now two years later she was being woken from sleep once again. She had tried to get the unconventionally placed tree cut down (or at least moved), but some nature loving student protested and the tree stayed.

Marie clenched her teeth and couldn't help the growl that escaped her lips. It was one of the many of Wolverine's traits that she had picked up. Every once in awhile she would get a craving for a cold beer and stole one from Logan's labeled box in the refrigerator. Unfortunately for her, Logan had left the mansion half a year ago and hadn't been heard from since.

So she lost her beer provider and had her heart ripped out once again. Lovely.

But, despite how neglectful Logan could be Marie didn't blame him. I mean she was a nineteen year old kid. Why should he care about her "crush"? Especially with someone like Jean waltzing around the mansion.

Stupid, gorgeous, unattainable Jean.

Marie had tried to hate the red-head, but it wasn't her fault Logan lusted after the one woman he couldn't have. And Logan's fixation was completely understandable. Jean had the smarts and the looks. Who wouldn't want her?

Marie was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a noise outside her door.

She turned to the thin wooden barrier between her and the intruder fearfully. Her mind immediately took her back to when the government infiltrated the school. Particularly, the moment when the wolverine saved her life for the second time.

She heard a thump against the door and someone fumbling with the knob.

The black gown clad mutant was suddenly glad for her poison skin. The professor had been working with her to control it and she was hopeful that someday in the future she would gain control of it. But until that time it was leather gloves and long sleeves.

She stared at the door which had suddenly become silent. After about a minute she slipped out of bed and padded quietly to the door, pressing her ear against it.

Nothing.

She sighed and opened the door a sliver.

There was no one- holy shit! She nearly gasped out loud when she saw what the cause of the noise was.

It was Logan…or what was left of him.

She felt her heart race at the unsightly state her friend was in and immediately flung the door open and dragged him inside the room. She somehow managed to get him on her bed. Marie ran to the bathroom and got wet towels before rejoining the incapacitated Logan.

She flipped on a lamp and the amount of blood frightened her to her core.

His limbs were positioned in odd angles, as if his metal skeleton had been twisted. There were burn marks and gashes all over his face and she was scared to find out what other damage had been done to the rest of him.

Marie felt like she was going to be sick.

What was wrong with him? Why couldn't he heal himself?

She managed to get his leather jacket off him and began undoing the buttons to his shirt when his eyes opened.

"M-rie" He slurred, his hazel eyes glazed with pain.

"I'm here." She managed to choke out. "Don't worry hon', I've got ya."

His hand reached for hers and fell back to his side uselessly.

Then he was out again.

"Shit!" She cursed as she finally removed his shirt and saw the extent of the damage.

There were bullet holes in his chest, and she was willing to bet on the dog tags they were adamantium bullets.

What the hell am I doing? I need to go get Jean, or Storm, or someone! She finally realized.

The distraught girl got half way across the room before she remembered that Jean and Storm were on a recruiting mission for the professor.

The one time she actually wanted to see Jean, the bitch was gone.

Hearing an agonized moan from Logan, she moved quickly to the bed and began cleaning the blood than he seemed to be soaked in. She sincerely hoped that it wasn't all his.

Marie sent a mental distress call to Xavier, basically screaming at him with her thoughts.

His calming presence was there instantly, telling her he had informed Jean that she was needed back at the mansion immediately. Unfortunately, he admitted that it would take a few hours for the leggy doctor to arrive.

Why the fuck did this mansion full of children with supernatural powers only have one doctor?

When Xavier began attempting to console her saying that Logan had healing powers and would be fine blahblahblah Marie shut him out of her mind.

She released a shaky breath when she realized what she needed to do.

She had to remove the bullets from his chest.

Marie ran to her bathroom and began frantically digging through the drawers until she found what she was looking for.

She did her best to sterilize everything, but how much could she do with soap and water? Would that even help?

After she slipped on a thin pair of gloves Marie took a deep breath and looked up into the mirror.

You can do this. You have to do this. How many times has that man in there saved your life? And now he needs you.

Possessed by determination the young girl ran quickly back to her friend's side and brushed his dark hair back from his closed eyes.

"Logan." She murmured. "I'm sorry but this is going to hurt like a bitch."

Then she started taking out the first bullet.

Thankfully, this one was rather shallow and she managed to remove it without much trouble.

Two more to go.

The covered the wound with the towel and applied pressure to stop the blood flow before moving on the next adamantium bullet.

When she got her hands on whoever did this to him…they were going to wish they had never been born.

After she successfully took care of the second wound she felt optimistic.

One more and hopefully Logan's healing would kick in after she removed the last bullet.

The last bullet was deeper than the rest and she forced herself to stay calm throughout the five minutes it took her to do away with it.

She dropped the three small cylinders onto the floor carelessly and bandaged his chest.

She bit her lip anxiously and all her energy and adrenaline seemed to drain out of her. She felt dizzy and lightheaded with stress and worry.

God, if she lost Logan she would never forgive herself. He was one of the only people in this place that understood her. Kitty and Storm could reassure her that being a mutant was a gift, but their mutations didn't cause them to suffer. Their mutations didn't send people running in the opposite direction when they found out. Their mutations didn't kill.

With the hard part over, the brown eyed girl began cleaning her patient's face and arms before making the sudden decision to cut his shirt and jacket off.

He could growl and try to intimidate her later, but for now she was worried the tight clothes were constricting him.

She glanced at his jeans for a second before a flush crawled up her neck and she decided he could survive with those still on.

By the time she was done her hands were stained an ominous red and she went to the bathroom to rinse off her hands in the sink, unwilling to leave Logan alone for long enough to take a full shower.

Marie curled up in the chair by the bed and stared at her friend's still face.

If she ignored the cuts it almost looked as if he was sleeping.

She felt her eyes fill with tears at the pitiful sight. The undefeatable wolverine was lying in a comatose state on her bed. But to her he was more than muscle, and strength; he was her protector. Her best friend. The only person she felt akin to in this mansion.

He had been so mistreated by others all his life it was a wonder we wasn't a bloodthirsty animal. But he wasn't. Marie D'ancanto was probably one of the few- if not the only- person who had been able to see the other side of the wolverine. The side that protected what was his fiercely. The side that was possessive, and giving, and that actually gave a shit about other people.

But Marie didn't see herself clearly. She didn't see the protective way that Logan watched her when they were on a mission or when she was approached by the opposite sex. She didn't notice how his eyes flickered to her during the stimulated missions in the danger room. How she was the first person he told when he was leaving for months. She didn't know how much he looked forward to seeing the shining smile on her face whenever he did return after a particularly long absence. She had no idea that the wolverine inside him rejoiced at the sight of his dog tags dangling from around her delicate neck.

She had no clue that the only reason he threw himself into chasing Jean was that he girl he really wanted was too young. Too deserving of someone better than the fuck up he believed he was.

Marie's eyes began to droop and though she tried in vain to stay awake, she found herself succumbing to sleep.

Her dreams of home and her mom's pecan pie transformed into a vicious nightmare full of blood and gunshots.

The girl awoke with a startled gasp, her eyes immediately searching out the man she had left lying on her bed.

He was still out of it.

She saw his chest moving and smiled with relief that she hadn't lost him.

Scooting the chair close to the bed, she brushed the platinum strands behind her ears and wished she could feel his forehead for a fever. Marie glanced at the clock on her nightstand and saw that she had only been asleep for about an hour and a half. Already the cuts and burns on his face were gone and she felt like crying with relief.

He would make it.

She closed her deep brown eyes and laid her forehead down on the mattress.

She felt a light brush against her hand and slowly raised her face in disbelief.

Familiar hazel eyes met hers and a tanned hand reached up and brushed platinum hair out of her face.

"Hey." She breathed, transfixed in his penetrating gaze.

The corner of his lips turned up in a smirk and he trailed a hand over her smooth cheek.

"Hey yourself." He replied, his eyes taking in her disheveled appearance, from her rumpled nightgown to her mused hair. His gaze stopped on the bloodstains on her dress and his horrified eyes swept back up to hers.

The brunette bit her lip anxiously, unsure of what to say.

She saw his eyes fly around the room, taking in the evidence of what happened a mere ninety minutes ago.

"Wh-what happened?" He questioned hesitantly.

"I should be asking you the same question!" She sputtered out.

"I remember being hurt and managing to get back on my bike and barely having enough gas to get to the woods surrounding the mansion." Logan began, his voice rough. "Then I walked the rest of the way here."

"Who did this to you?" Marie asked hesitantly, glancing at his uncovered chest, the terrifying wounds from earlier absent.

"I remember following a lead to my past when I ran into Magneto."

The young mutant flinched, knowing Magneto was perhaps the only person who had control of Logan.

"He managed to get the drop on me and I was held prisoner…for god knows how long." Logan continued, his eyes angry and shamed at the same time. "I saw pyro there. He's the one who let me out. Unfortunately, they caught wind of my escape and managed to get me with those damn adamantium laced bullets. Sons of bitches won't know what hit them when I go back…"

Marie knew better than to ask what they did to him. It went without saying that he had undergone unthinkable torture.

"No!" The outburst escaped her. "Oh god, please don't go back there Logan. I couldn't stand finding you like this again."

His lack of response made her face burn with indignation. Were her feelings that obvious? Was he embarrassed at the emotions she blatantly displayed? God, what was she thinking? He was probably wishing he had woken up in the med lab to Jean's face.

Personally Rogue thought the doc's hands were cold and bony, but to each his own.

The brunette attempted to remove her hand from his, but he held her still.

"Just let me go Logan." She muttered, keeping her eyes trained on the wall. "I'll go get Jean. Maybe she's back by now."

"Marie."

She stayed stubbornly silent.

"Marie look at me." He ordered, turning her face toward his.

She reluctantly met his eyes, prepared for rejection and pity. He brought their intertwined hands up to eye level.

That's when she noticed what had caused his silence.

Her hands..they were….she didn't have…Neither of them were wearing gloves.

"How?" She murmured, her golden brown eyes wide as dinner plates.

"I'm as puzzled as you are darlin'." He chuckled, squeezing her hand.

"I'm not hurting you." She stated, her eyes flickering up to his face to make sure.

"You're not." He confirmed his eyes full of an emotion she couldn't name.

Then she was in his strong arms.

He tangled one hand in her thick hair and the other wrapped around her back, pressing her to him. She buried her face in his shoulder.

Her skin wasn't drawing any of his strength. Was she cured? Or was this some fluke?

Rogue pulled back at that thought and scooted to the other end of the bed.

She had no idea how long this would last. And until she did she wasn't going to take any chances. No matter how bad she wanted to.

The feral mutant's eyes narrowed in confusion before understanding dawned in his eyes. 

"I'm not afraid of your skin."

"You should be." She replied emptily. "You've felt it draw your very life away more than anyone else has. I've seen the pain and fear in your eyes as my mutation took everything it could."

"I don't give a fuck what you think you saw in my eyes, and I don't give a damn about the consequences." Wolverine growled, his eyes dark and fierce. "I promised to take care of you and I keep my promises."

The grief-stricken girl turned to the man beside her. "Dammit Logan stay away! I don't want to hurt you."

"Darlin' if you hadn't noticed I'm pretty damn near indestructible." He drawled smugly, moving closer to her.

"Says the man who just had three bullets extracted from his chest."

"Thanks for that by the way."

"Stop taking this so lightly!" She said, her voice breaking. "I just watched you almost die Logan. Do you know what that did to me? I had to dig the bullets out of you and had no idea if I was just making things worse! God, if I had lost you…you're the only person who seems to actually care about what happens to me and-"

"Xavier-"

"The professor helps out any mutant that stumbles across his doorstep." The girl interrupted, shaking her head. "I owe him for accepting me here, but you're the one who saved me. You're the one who turned around and came back for me in Laughlin, unable to leave me standing there in the snow alone. You're the one who somehow knows exactly what to say when I need it. With you here…I don't feel so alone."

Wolverine stared at the brunette in front of him intensely.

But Marie had opened the floodgate to her emotions and couldn't seem to stop the words she had held inside for so long from pouring out of her.

"When you leave I always know there's a part of you that wants to take off and never look back."

The feral mutant opened his mouth to deny it, but was interrupted.

"Logan. I have you inside my head." Marie said with a sad smile. "I know how hard it is for you to stay in one place for this long. Why do you stay anyways?"

Logan froze, his expression looking pained.

"Oh god, why do I ask stupid questions." Rogue muttered to herself, running a hand through her long hair. "Jean. It's for Jean. How could I be so stu-"

"You think I'm here for Jean?" Logan asked, surprise coloring his tone.

"…aren't you?"

A flutter of hope arose in her chest, but she quickly squashed it down. What good was hope when all it had caused her was heartbreak and longing?

All those times she caught him flirting with the red-head had killed her inside. The day she walked into the kitchen and caught Jean running a hand up Logan's arm was the day she finally agreed to go out with Bobby. Even when she was with the blonde her thoughts were always on someone else. Someone else who did no share her feeling whatsoever. Someone who had been chasing after the leggy doctor from the moment he saw her.

Before Logan could answer an urgent knock on the door rang out in the room.

Finally, Marie moved to answer it and revealed a leather clad Jean on the other side.

Marie's heart sank and she dismissed herself before Logan could stop her retreat.

"I thought you were injured." Jean said, her gray eyes moving over his shirtless form.

He growled something that the doctor couldn't understand and grabbed his white t shirt before stalking out of the room.

He had a certain powerful mutant to find.

The tall doctor watched his exit in displeased shock. She was used to his attention and felt cheated when he gave it to someone else.

Sure Jean loved Scott, but there was nothing like a little extra attention from a man who looked like that to help feed an ego.

She actually was worried about him and rushed back to find him in Rogue's room half naked.

Jean narrowed her eyes and huffed. Looks like he found a cradle to rob. Oh well, she could just do some damage control and speak with him later about this. A year ago all she had to do was mention Rogue having a "crush" on him and he took off running towards the herself.

Jean pushed the encounter she just had out of her head and wished now more than ever that they could find Scott.

He had returned to Alkali lake after the disastrous event that happened a couple of months prior. She had sacrificed herself to save the jet from going down and taking everyone with it. But, inside she knew she could live through it because of the other presence inside of her: the Phoenix.

So she had cracked open the door that the professor had placed in her mind to keep the Phoenix at bay, and allowed it to overcome her for a brief moment. Unfortunately, since that day Jean had been unable to completely shut the powerful being out. Refusing to admit a weakness to the professor, the doctor kept the Phoenix's growing strength a secret and continued on as if nothing was wrong.


	2. Some Kind of Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter we find out that Rogue made a new friend while Logan was gone. Thanks for reading! The comments, bookmarks, and kudos are greatly appreciated!

"You and I fell apart like a ragdoll torn at the seams. Then he came in, stitched up the pieces like some kind of hero."  
\- "Mannequin" The Summer Set

***

Logan sank onto his bed with a low groan of sheer disappointment. He ran his hands over his face tiredly, his thoughts consumed with a certain brunette mutant.

He had woken up to the sight of her watching over him. Taking care of him. For a single, disbelieving second he thought she was a creation of his imagination. That he was still locked away in Magneto's lair. Even when he was held captive there he was unable to banish the lingering, intoxicating thoughts of Marie.

He wasn't sure how to handle the amount of emotion the dark eyed girl aroused in him. He found himself saying things just to get a glimpse of her smile. To hear her husky laughter. To see her eyes sparkling with mischief.

The feral mutant growled lowly in anger at himself. He could not, would not, think about Marie like this. She trusted him to take care of her and here he was feeling these things.; and when he wasn't around to lust after her he was disappearing for months on end. She tried to hide the damage and pain his leaving caused, but the emotion was clear in her deep eyes. In Logan's mind his not being around at all was better than staying and watching the one person he couldn't have. It was better than sticking around and enduring the torture of being just within reach of what he wanted…no needed, and being unable to take it.

The moment he saw Marie he felt inexplicably drawn to her. He found himself unable to understand the raw, intense surge of protectiveness and passion that one young girl inspired in him. Then…she touched him. The moment she laid her slender, white hand on his face he knew. The wolverine had claimed her as his mate.

Even acknowledging this fact now caused the human in him to cringe. How could he accept that he felt so strongly for someone so young? So innocent? She deserved so much better. Someone who could promise her security, normalcy, and provide for her. So Logan did the only thing he could think of…he threw himself into distractions. His past. Booze. Women. But somehow he always ended back at the mansion. Back to her.

So now Logan found himself moping inside his room after being unable to find Marie. She had quickly retreated after Jean's untimely appearance and he had been unable to scare any of the underclassmen into unveiling her location.

Resolving to find her tomorrow, the clawed mutant retired for the night. His dreams were filled with platinum streaked hair and a pair of piercing brown eyes.

***

Marie tilted her head back against the wall and closed her eyes tightly, trying to gain some semblance of control over her emotions.

Logan had finally woken up and the first thing she did was get jealous and run away. God, no wonder her love was an unrequited one. Every time something bad happens she runs away in the opposite direction. Maybe she and Logan were more alike than they realized.

He was probably cozying up to Jean right now. No. Stop torturing yourself. Marie ran her hands through her unkempt hair in distress.

"Marie? What are you doing here?" A sleep-filled voice questioned.

The girl turned to face the speaker and could barely hold back her tears of exhaustion. From trying to outrun her feelings for Logan. From realizing that every time she thought she just might be able to get over him, he came waltzing back into the mansion all feral and growly.

"I'm…I'm sorry." She sighed, moving to sit on the bed.

Piotr Rasputin sat up, trying to blink the sleep from his cobalt blue eyes. It wasn't unusual for the two teens to seek each other's company, but he was surprised at the intensity of her distress.

Everyone knew that the girl next to him had formed a unique bond with Logan. Every time he decided to flee the mansion for whatever inconsequential reason he left a broken girl behind him. Piotr hadn't known this about Marie until he found her in the library one night months ago. She was standing in front of the fireplace, her fists clenched.

(start flashback)

"Excuse me? Are you alright?" The tall brunette had questioned, concern clear in his voice.

Upon receiving no answer he turned to leave with a sigh, when the girl graced him with her voice.

"He…He left again."

Piotr waited.

"I don't know why I'm surprised every time I see him standing by the door with his bags. You'd think I'd be used to it by now." She murmured sardonically, ducking her head low and allowing her long hair to obscure her face from him like a curtain.

The shadows from the flames danced across the room, giving her face an unearthly glow. She looked hauntingly beautiful.

His light eyes were drawn to a flash of silver in Marie's hand.

"I know there's no chance he'll ever want me, but I can't seem to keep myself from hoping…" The slender brunette trailed off, her voice soft and resigned.

Her fist opened to reveal a gray chain with a pair of dog tags attached. A slight shudder seemed to go through her as her eyes flashed from the crackling fire to the token in her hand.

Was she going to throw them in…?

Suddenly she whirled around angrily, throwing the dog tags across the room. They hit the wall and fell onto the hardwood floors. The sharp sound reverberated throughout the room.

"Look at me. This is pathetic." Marie said, swallowing back her tears embarrassedly. "I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting anyone to be here…"

Her brown eyes met a pair of azure blue ones from across the room.

"Don't apologize. It was me who intruded." Piotr assured the girl, not wanting to make matters worse.

The two stood there awkwardly for a moment. Marie tucked a loose strand of platinum hair behind her ear nervously and moved to leave.

"Wait."

She stopped.

"I…I mean I didn't mind listening. If you ever need someone to talk to…" The boy trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably.

Marie stared at him in disbelief.

What? He just watched her cry about her issues and throw stuff…and here he was being nice. She wanted to laugh at the sheer surprise his kindness evoked in her.

A small smile formed on the brunette's face.

"I might just take you up on that offer."

(end flashback)

Since that night they had grown closer and nightly trips to the fireplace became a ritual. This is why Piotr was caught off guard upon finding Marie in his room in the middle of the night. They usually met in the library. Being in the other's individual room was uncharted territory.

"What's wrong?" He asked, patting the seat next to him.

Marie scooted next him, her back against the dark wood headboard.

"Logan came back today."

The name caused a fiery surge of anger to overcome Piotr. He didn't know the other man personally, but the pain he caused Marie made Piotr have an automatic dislike of him.

"Oh."

"Yeah that was pretty much my reaction too." She quipped, grinning up at her friend.

Piotr hesitated, about to question on whether Logan was staying for good, but knew better. Of course not. He always stayed just long enough to endear Marie to him before taking off again. Sometimes for months on end.

Marie reached across Piotr and grabbed a pack of her favorite candy that was on the table.

"Is this for me?" She asked jokingly, a smile overcoming her face as she ripped into the bag.

"Well I was planning on saving them for movie night but since you've helped yourself…"He replied teasingly, enjoying the pink flush that spread across her cheeks and neck.

"Shut up." She growled around a mouthful of red licorice.

He rolled his eyes and threw an arm around her shoulders, hugging her to his chest.

"You're my best friend you know."

"I know."

They sat in a comfortable silence until Marie's eyes started to slide shut and she had to focus to keep her eyes from closing.

Half asleep from pure exhaustion, the untouchable girl sleepily requested to stay the night there. One reason was because she was dead tired and was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to move, even if she really wanted to. But mostly because she feared Logan would find her more easily in her room.

She received a low, unintelligible mumble back and took that as a confirmation.

So she stayed.

***

Back at his room Logan awoke with a tortured howl. He flew into an upright position, his adamantium claws poised for an invisible enemy. Perspiration plastered dark hair to tan skin. It was another nightmare.

With a frustrated growl the angered mutant moved to his bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. He placed both hands on either side of the small, pristine sink and hung his head. Tiny drops of water slipped from his dark hair onto the tile floor.

With a sudden snarl his claws emerged and he slashed them across the mirror, shattering it instantly. He glanced up at his broken reflection in the wrecked mirror and turned away in disgust. He tried to do what was best, but somehow everything always turned out wrong.

Marie didn't want anything to do with him, and actually ran from the room he was in. And he just knew the professor would call him into his office and attempt to rope him into becoming a more permanent member of the X-Men. But Logan's answer would be the same as it always was: no. Then he would feel like an even bigger ass for living in the mansion when he always took off. Why the hell did he live in a school full of obnoxious kids anyways? Mentally swearing at himself for thinking about Marie again, he returned to his room.

Logan saw the sun coming up through the window in his room and wondered how long he had been lost in thought. Not bothering to clean the shards of glass, he just walked over the mess- his skin would heal- and threw on a white shirt. He couldn't sleep now. After a quick danger room session he would try and find Marie. And make things right. She still had his dog tags after all. He could use that as a reason for searching her out. He mentally groaned at his juvenile thoughts. Why did he need an excuse to talk to her? She was his friend for christsakes.

With that last determined thought the despairing man made his way to the danger room, completely unaware that the woman consuming his every thought was already there.


	3. Won't Let You Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter Marie is a bit of a badass and shows off her fighting skills, as well as a few new ones she gained while Logan was gone. Thanks for reading, lovelies!

"Wherever you go, Whatever you chase, No one could ever take your place. I won't let you go, don't be the one that got away"  
-"Back to the Start" The Summer Set

***

Marie walked down the empty alley, her footsteps silent in the loud pounding of the rain. Opening her senses, she saw a shadow up ahead and quickly took up an offensive stance and crept to the corner to wait. This was one instance where she was glad for the little amount of Logan's senses that she retained. The rain plastered platinum hair to her face but she didn't dare move and risk revealing her location.

There were two voices. One male. One female.

Sensing an approach the brunette tensed and leapt out at the enemy, who turned in surprise before being tackled to the sodden floor. Rogue managed to get a few punches in before the blue skinned mutant slipped out of her grasp and kicked her onto her back. Mystique grabbed her assailant by her tied up hair and dragged her through the water.

Rogue grit her teeth and managed turn around, ignoring the stinging from some brown hair being pulled out, and kicked Mystique, sending her stumbling back. This gave the brown eyed mutant just enough time to jump back up and send a startlingly brutal kick across the other woman's face. Mystique reeled back in shock and fell to her knees. Rogue raised her eyebrows in surprise and glanced back to see Magneto watching the scene with amusement. She felt a hot flash of anger overcome her and growled at his dark presence.

Contrary to popular belief, she still harbored an intense hate for the metal manipulating mutant. He had endangered her life for his self-righteous and completely misplaced ideas of justice.

This distraction allowed Mystique to push off the ground and shove Rogue to the floor. The landing jarred Rogue and her head banged against the concrete. Hissing in pain she glared at the blue mutant who ran her tongue over her lips maliciously, her nails digging into the brunette's arms, drawing blood. Rogue brought her knee up to Mystique's abdomen, the blow freeing her arms, which she brought around to grasp blue shoulders and flip them over.

Rogue grasped her opponent by her neck and ascended into the air, bringing the shocked Mystique with her. With a sudden burst of strength, Rogue flew back towards the ground and slammed the blue skinned woman to the ground, knocking her unconscious.

Glancing up victoriously Rogue found her intended target had disappeared. A low growl escaped from between her clenched teeth and she pushed her soaked hair from her face aggressively. During her struggle with the blue bitch, Magneto had vanished.

Then the stimulation ended.

Rogue blinked at the sudden brightness of the room. She shivered at the lack of rainwater as her brain worked hard to catch up to the sudden change in location.

Sweat rolled down her back as she marched over to the control room, intending on reaming out whoever had cancelled the program. Throwing open the door, her eyes caught sight of the two last people she had a desire to see. Her reasons for avoiding Logan were obvious; if she ever wanted to get over him she needed to distance herself. As for Scott, well he had caught her breaking the only rule of the danger room: entering a solo mission before she was officially part of the X-men team. But honestly, did he expect her to wait around until someone was ready to "chaperone" her? Yeah, no thanks.

Besides, she was one of the leaders of the junior team. How long would they continue to treat her like a child?

Rogue stopped in her steps when she met the two men's equally frustrated gazes. She sighed and leaned her shoulder against the doorway, crossing her uncovered arms under her chest.

"Need somethin'?" Rogue drawled sarcastically, anticipating Scott's upcoming tirade.

"Rogue. You know you shouldn't be on a mission without a member of the team. Having one watch from the control room doesn't count and-"

Marie's surprised eyes darted to Logan in confusion. He was…watching her? Ha, her sick combat skills probably shocked him. Amusement caused her lips to curl up into a grin. Seeing her expression Logan rolled his hazel eyes and interrupted Scott, who had continue to ramble throughout their exchange.

"Shut it Scooter. It's too early for your shit."

Then the clawed mutant nodded his head towards the door, wanting Marie to leave with him.

Barely suppressing a laugh she saluted at Scott before slipping out behind Logan, leaving the baffled mutant alone in the control room.

As she looked up Marie found Logan waiting for her outside the door, a slight smirk on his face. Marie felt an involuntary smile appear on her face in answer and threw up the walls around her feelings for the man in front of her. Recently, she had become pretty good at compartmentalizing things. Practice makes perfect.

The two walked in a companionable silence, that Logan was eventually the first to break.

"Hell kid, I didn't know you could fight like that."

Unable to completely keep the smug look off her face, she shrugged nonchalantly. "Practice."

"And since when could you…fly?"

" 'Lotta of stuff happened after you left." She replied honestly, flashing back to her third mission as part of the junior team.

...

The professor had thought the mission would be an easy one so he sent the junior team, which consisted of: Piotr Rasputin, Bobby Drake, Jubilation Lee, Katherine Pride, and of course herself. In his defense, this was just supposed to be a simple recruitment. The Professor has sensed a class two mutant in Pennsylvania that was using his powers for less than honest reasons. His name was Remy LeBeau or something like that.

Anyways, we were nearing the place where the Professor believed this guy lived when out of nowhere this chick flies in and rams right into Piotr. Guess she got one look at us and figured he was the most lethal. Big mistake lady. This sent him flying halfway back to New York (not really but you get the point). Immediately we all jumped into action. Not to boast, but the Junior team is pretty damn good. So I knew we were in trouble when this woman had no problem fending all of us off. Turns out it was kind of hard for Bobby to ice someone who could fly through the air so fast. Kitty's powers were primarily useful for sneaking into government buildings so she couldn't help much.

After awhile of getting our asses kicked I decided it was time to bring out the big guns. Signaling my plan to Jubliee, I ripped my leather gloves off my hands and raced towards our attacker. Unfortunately for her she didn't know just how deadly my skin was…yet. The tall blonde turned just in time to see me and to meet my uncovered hands. The triumphant smirk disappeared from her face and was replaced by a pained, agonizing scream. After a few seconds I tried to pull away, but found myself unable to. I was forced to watch as I drained the very life out of this woman. She was evil yes, but that didn't mean I wanted her death on my conscience. And I definitely didn't want her in my head.

"Piotr!" I screamed for help, desperately trying to pull away from the rapidly declining woman.

The last thing I remember was feeling her screaming and thoughts enter my mind and seeing her blue eyes fade…then nothing.

Four days later I woke up and we found something new about my mutation. Apparently, if I held on for too long my mutation took everything that person had permanently…even their powers. I had stolen her mutations: super strength and flight. Despite myself, I found it rather enjoyable and wondered how Carol could have been such a terrible person when she had such a brilliant gift.

...

Feeling a hand on her shoulder Marie snapped out of her thoughts and realized that they had stopped walking.

"Hey, you alright?" Logan questioned, a look of sincere concern on his face.

"Yeah." Marie replied. "It's just a long story."

Seeing the frustration and pain the young woman was holding inside, Logan figured she could use a night out of the mansion. Hell, if she had even a little of his personality left, she had to be feeling pretty caged in.

Looking at the girl next to him, Logan found himself overwhelmed by his conflicting feelings for her. He already knew she meant more to him than anyone else did…as far as he could remember. She had captured his whole being and wasn't even aware of it. She was completely oblivious to the unshakeable hold she had on him. He recalled the dark look on her face when he asked about what happened and felt his claws itching to come out. Marie had suffered, and he wasn't there. He has promised to be there for her, and he had failed. The very thought of letting her down caused his heart to clench and a feeling of regret to well up inside him.

"Marie."

Logan's head whipped around at the interruption, a scowl on his face.

The brunette turned and smiled at Piotr, not noticing Logan's surprise at hearing that she told someone else her real name. He felt annoyance flash over him before he quickly hid it, just in time to have Marie turn and tell him she would see him later. Then, she shot him a quick, grateful smile before leaving with the boy.

Wait? Who was that? Logan wondered, bristling at the thought of Marie leaving him for someone else. Instantly, he felt ashamed for his possessive thoughts. Shoving down the instincts that screamed for him to put a stop to this, he turned and tried to remember what he had been going to do earlier before he got sidetracked by a certain brunette.

"What's up Piotr?" Marie asked, linking her arm through her friends'.

Shrugging off the dark look the older mutant had thrown his way, Piotr informed Marie that the Professor needed her in his office.

"And I guess he talked you into coming to find me."

"I knew it would be a difficult mission that no one else would want-"

"Hey!" She protested, laughing as she unhooked their arms.

"No one wants to mess with the Rogue, ass-kicking extraordinaire." The brunette continued, grinning down at Marie.

She growled and delivered a swift punch to his stomach that left him doubled over in pain.

"What was that for?" He croaked, cursing her strength.

"Just demonstrating some of the ass-kicking you mentioned." She replied cheekily, patting his head.

Piotr sighed, shaking his head as she continued down the hall. He shouldn't have expected anything less from Marie. He didn't really pay much attention to her before that night in the library, and had yet to become accustomed to her violent streak.

Piotr's thoughts returned to the man known as the Wolverine, whom he had seen Marie walking with earlier. The look on the man's face when Piotr took Marie was priceless. Standing next to Marie, the man exuded protectiveness. And when Marie had left Logan standing there, Piotr caught a flash of possessiveness in Logan's eyes and stance before it was quickly covered. How anyone could mistake his feelings for familial was beyond Piotr.

Oh, he was going to have some fun with this. Piotr smirked to himself.


	4. Can't Figure You Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, less Rogan fluffy-ness in this chapter. The plot had to start moving sometime, unfortunately. Also, Jean seems to be on a bit of a downward spiral...Thanks for reading! As always, kudos, comments, and bookmarks are greatly appreciated! :)

"I can't figure you out; you've got more fight in you  
then anybody else."

-"Never Be What You Want" We are the In Crowd

***

"Rogue, please sit." Professor Xavier said, motioning to one of the chairs placed in front of his desk.

Ororo occupied one of the seats, a grim look adorning her exotic features. The windows next to his desk were open, allowing sunlight to spill across the room, illuminating the caramel colored mutant's bright colored hair. Rogue walked across the wood floors and took the remaining seat, her dark eyes alight with curiosity.

"What's this about, Charles?"

The white-haired woman startled slightly at Rogue's use of the Professor's first name. She hadn't realized that Magneto's presence was still so potent in the girl's mind. Storm couldn't help but feel sorry for the untouchable mutant. Her eyes flickered to Rogue's glove covered hands and she was filled with pity. The brunette had undergone more than any young woman should. Storm snapped out of her thoughts when she heard the professor's presence in her mind and smiled apologetically at being so easily distracted.

"I know you are quite eager to rejoin the team and the perfect opportunity has arisen. That is, if you still wish to join of course."

Rogue couldn't stop the smile of pure elation that overcame her face. She had been waiting for this moment ever since she was able to control Carol's powers. And despite her obvious sorrow for killing the woman, she was a little eager to use her new abilities. Just a little.

"I'll take that as a yes then." The Professor replied wryly, his blue eyes catching her blatant joy at the prospect of participating in missions again.

He knew that Rogue had suffered greatly after she stole Carol Danver's life. She had been consumed with guilt over taking a life, which was a perfectly natural reaction. But unlike others, she couldn't just try and forget because she took a permanent part of the older woman into herself. Despite how Rogue had suffered, Xavier was glad she was able to overcome that particular hardship. She was a strong woman. An asset to the team.

"The mutant that you went to find a couple of months ago has resurfaced. I wasn't sure if you were ready to undertake the task, but Scott was confident you would be more than willing to go on the same mission." The professor explained carefully, monitoring Rogue's reaction to the news.

Rogue was shocked but managed to keep her face blank. Scott believed she could do it? He was always such a stick in the mud she thought he would have protested vehemently at the idea of her even rejoining the team.

"I would accompany you of course." Storm added, smiling positively at the other woman.

Rogue had always admired, and even looked up to, the other woman when she was still in school. But ever since she had started going on missions she had begun to look at her as a friend. Because of all the people in her mind Rogue was forced to grow up far quicker than the others in her age group. She was sort of stuck in between the two groups: her school friends on one end and the X-Men on the other. As it was, she was the youngest member of the X-Men…ever. 

After the disastrous mission months ago Kitty had decided that a teaching job better suited her. She wasn't built for combat, and her defensive mutation was a testament to that fact. But Bobby, Piotr, and Jubliee were all training relentlessly to make the team.

"When do we leave?" Rogue asked, her face set in determination.

The professor's eyes shone with pride as he told her that the mutant, Remy LeBeau, had relocated to New Orleans.

"Louisiana?" 

"Apparently he has a penchant for gambling." Storm murmured, her colored eyes disapproving.

Well fuck. Rogue thought to herself. They had to drive that far down south to find a mutant who may or may not join them. Great. Unless….

"Of course we will be taking the jet." Storm began. "And the Professor thought this would be a good time for your first flying lesson."

Hell yeah! Rogue nearly crowed, barely holding back her excitement.

"When you two reach New Orleans and find Mr. LeBeau call and report back. This should be fairly quick seeing as it's a recruitment mission. " The professor explained as Storm and Rogue stood.

"We're not wearing the infamous leather suits I'm assuming, seein' as we will be goin' out in a crowded city." Rogue commented as she and Ororo continued down the hall and through the rec room.

"That would stand out just a bit." Storm agreed. "So let's meet at the jet in fifteen. Sound good?"

"See yah then."

Rogue went back to her room to change out of her danger room clothes, which consisted of a pair of shorts over skin colored tights and a thin black long shirt. Not exactly appropriate for pushing through a crowded city.

Then a knock sounded at her door.

"Come in!"

The door was pushed open to reveal a pissed Jubliee. The yellow clad mutant entered the room, crossed her arms over her chest, and stared at her friend expectantly.

"Hey Jubes." Rogue greeted, ignoring the peeved glare directed at her.

"Going somewhere chica?"

"Well now that you mention it-"

"I mean it's not like you have to tell me every little thing you do, but I do expect some effort from you in this friendship. I mean, you're going on missions again and I have to find out from Jean." Jubliee spat out the name as if it were a curse word.

Jubilee had an intense dislike for the red haired doctor. She found her self-consumed and never understood how she landed such a decent guy like Scott. Jubilee had her eye on him when she first arrived at the mansion, but quickly got over it when she saw how devoted he was to Jean.

"How about I let you choose what I wear." Rogue offered, smiling hopefully.

"Girl, I could never stay mad at you for long anyways." Jubilee admitted, before going to Rogue's closet and digging through the copious amounts of long sleeved sweaters, gloves, and scarves of every material. "Do you own anything that is even remotely revealing?"

"Jubes. Deadly skin plus skanky clothes equals disaster." The brunette said sarcastically, not even sounding remotely bitter about the bad hand fate had dealt her.

She had accepted her ability and there was no use crying over something that couldn't be changed.

"A little cleavage never hurt anyone." The determined mutant called from the closet.

"Yet." Rogue muttered, rolling her brown eyes.

"Rogue I seriously doubt someone is going to grab for your girls when they first meet you." Jubilee said emerging from the closet before eyeing Rogue's chest. "Well on second thought…"

"Jubilee!" Rogue interrupted, laughing at her friend's complete lack of shame.

"What? I just wish I was gifted with such a great rack. So unfair." The short girl huffed before brightening up. "On the bright side I found the perfect outfit."

Rogue sighed anxiously before reminding her friend to hurry because she had to be downstairs in five minutes. Jubilee threw a pair of black skinny jeans, heeled boots, and a silver tank at the brunette.

Rogue quickly changed into the clothes, not even bothering to protest against the tight tank top. She figured that she could grab a jacket without Jubilee knowing and slip it on in the jet. Rogue put on minimum makeup, ran a brush through her thick hair, and put on her favorite pair of gloves and a sheer scarf. Rogue went to grab her jacket but couldn't find it.

"Jubes have you seen-" Rogue trailed off at the mischievous look adorning her friends face.

"You bitch." Rogue said laughingly, knowing Jubilee had guessed her plan and hidden the jacket already.

"Love you too hoe." Jubilee replied cheekily as she left the room, blowing Rogue a kiss.

Shaking her head at her crazy friends antics she grabbed a bag that contained her cell, some money, and the pocket knife Logan had given her as a seventeenth birthday present. He really had never been that great at picking gifts.

Speak of the devil…

Rogue raised her eyebrows upon exiting her room and finding Logan walking through the hallway.

"Hey kid where'd you…" He trailed off and she felt his heavy stare roving over her from head to toe.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

"Um…Logan? Kinda in a hurry. Storm's probably waitin' for me at the Jet. I'll see yah when I get back sugar." Rogue called as she walked quickly towards the stairs.

That snapped the man back into action.

"Whoa, wait a second darlin'. Where are you going that you need the jet?"

"Wanted to go bar hopping and figured the jet would get the guys crawlin' to me." Rogue responded sarcastically.

Wouldn't need the jet for that…Logan thought barely able to keep his eyes from running over her endless legs. Damn it focus Logan. He growled to himself before realizing that Marie had continued down the stairs.

Shit!

"Wait…Did she just call me sugar?"

"Who are you talking to Logan?" Jean asked, approaching the flustered man.

"Ma-…Rogue. Is she going on a mission or something?" Logan answered, stopping himself from revealing Rogue's real name.

He didn't want any more people finding out about it. Damn that Russian.

"Yeah she and Storm are going to pick up a mutant in Louisiana." The doctor replied, noticing the worry creasing the feral mutant's forehead. "I know you're worried about Rogue, but Storm can take care of her. I think it's sweet that she has someone to worry for her, since her parents aren't around."

Her statement caused the clawed mutant to freeze.

"I'm not her goddamn father." Logan growled, his eyes fierce as he looked at the red-head.

"I never said that Logan." Jean replied in a soothing voice as she placed her hand on his shoulder. "But I'm sorry if what I said bothered you. I just meant that I'm glad someone is looking out for her."

Logan eyed the tall mutant before sighing. "I know Jeannie. Didn't mean to bite your head off."

"It's quite alright. I should get to the class I'm covering for Storm."

"Sure you don't wanna skip it? There's an unoccupied closet down the hall." Logan leered, much to Jean's pleasure.

"Logan! I'm with Scott." She replied playing the part of the scandalized fiancée, and acting like Logan couldn't smell the arousal pouring off her in waves.

She expected him to continue their banter, but was disappointed when he just shrugged and turned away to leave.

She frowned at his retreating back. Something was wrong with him. He usually was the one initiating their flirtatious conversations and sending her heated looks. But even as he invited her to ditch teaching her class he seemed distracted…even uninterested in her response. Jean narrowed her green eyes at the now empty hallway and turned on her heel to continue to the classroom.

She never intended to act on her and Logan's flirtation but it was nice to be noticed. She was the most sought after woman until Ororo showed up. Then there was Rogue. The girl might still be young but Jean could sense competition when it was standing in front of her.

Suddenly, Jean felt a sharp pain in her head and fell to her knees. She held her head in her hands and closed her eyes, willing the throbbing away. After a few seconds the strange sensation vanished and she stood up and leaned against the wall to catch her breath. She had a feeling that these headaches were a bad omen of things to come. That they were important somehow, but she refused to believe it. She had complete control over her powers. Besides, she was probably just having migraines.

With that last thought she continued walking shakily to her class…which she was now late for.

Everyone in the mansion continued on with their day, not knowing that things were going to change for the worse very soon.


	5. Scars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I absolutely adore writing scenes with Remy...I hope I did his character justice. Also, Rogue meets up with an old friend in this chapter. Every time I get a notification for a comment or kudos it makes my day, thanks so much!

"If you love me, let me go. Cause' these words are knives, and often leave scars."  
\- "This is Gospel" Panic! at the Disco

 

***

Storm entered the mansion shaking her head in disbelief. Honestly, when the Professor informed her that their newest recruit was a gambler she was wary. But he turned out to be completely different from her expectations, and she wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not. The whole ride home he had turned up the charm and spent most of the time complimenting herself and throwing suggestive winks at Rogue. Storm actually found Remy's flirtatious pet names for Rogue highly entertaining, much to the brunette pilot's annoyance. The enraged Rogue had even threatened to crash land the plane if "that damn Cajun doesn't shut his trap".

She and Rogue had arrived in Louisiana and found the illusive Remy LeBeau in a seedy bar in New Orleans. It was an old brick building with a flickering neon sign announcing the name of the place, La Rue de Chance. Rogue and Storm were denied entrance into the establishment, only solidifying them in their belief that the poker playing mutant was inside. Rogue had quickly volunteered to sneak around the back, planning on borrowing a waitress uniform to get inside. The brunette quickly found that sneaking in wasn't necessary because she found the man they were searching for leaning against the back wall outside the bar, smoking a cigarette.

Without her permission, the familiar smell sent her back to one of the many late nights on the mansion porch she spent with Logan. The memory was full of cigar smoke, hidden feelings, and comfortable silence. Angrily, Rogue shoved the memory away berating herself for letting Logan interfere in every moment of her life.

As Rogue approached him his head snapped up and she hid her shock at the unusually colored red eyes that met hers. She physically felt his eyes move over her before a confident smirk overcame his features.

"Bonjour ma petite. And what is a girl like you doing in a place like this?" He questioned, tilting his head to the side waiting for her answer.

"You don't even know me." Rogue stated simply, crossing her arms over her chest.

"An unfortunate thing indeed." He said wryly, pushing off from the wall and approaching her. "And what is your name?"

The brunette raised her eyebrows before answering "Rogue."

"You wound me ma belle." He said dramatically, holding a hand to his chest. "You don't have to make up a name. Poor old Remy don't mean no harm."

Rogue rolled her brown eyes at his antics. "I'm not here to play games. I'm here on behalf of Charles Xavier."

In a moment he morphed from an outrageous flirt to a guarded mutant.

"Let's just pretend that is your real name. Why are you here?" He replied, his tone changing from playful to cold instantly.

His red eyes suddenly seemed vicious and cutting.

Rogue held up her hands in a gesture of surrender. "Just to talk. Professor Xavier is-"

"I know who he is." The red-eyes mutant interrupted. "What does he want?"

Rogue glared at him before forcing herself to hold in her anger. She has no idea what troubles this guy has had in his life. It's not easy being a mutant and he has every right to be distrustful. If a random person approached her in an alley she would be pretty suspicious as well.

"He thinks you would benefit from re-locating to the school. Not as a student, but just as a resident." She explained, phrasing her words carefully. She knew how strange it was to ask him to come live at a school. But recently the Professor had made some additions to the place, and it wasn't just a school anymore. There was a completely separate building that functioned as an apartment complex for those who weren't teachers. She was hoping to move there when she got a spot on the team. Even without the Wolverine's influence the thought of sitting back and teaching while her friends risked their lives made her anxious.

Remy scoffed at the suggestion "And how exactly would living with a bunch of children benefit me?"

"Have you heard of a group called The Brotherhood?"

Remy froze and his expression turned grim. "What do they want with me?"

Rogue sighed. "We don't know exactly, but we want to help." Seeing the doubtful expression on his face she continued. "Look, a while back The Brotherhood came after me too. I was too naïve to accept the Professor's help and was kidnapped. To make a long story short, the X-Men saved me and I'll forever regret not accepting their help in the first place."

After her story, Remy's face turned contemplative as he watched her for a second.

"Okay."

A small smile threatened to overcome her face and she quickly hid it.

"The jet is this way. We can leave after we grab my teammate."

"Teammate?" he echoed before a smirk appeared on his face. "So you're an X-Men? I'm disappointed. Where's the infamous leather suit?"

Ah. So the player from before has returned.

Ignoring his flirting she answered him as they walked back around to the front of the building. "Not yet. But I will be soon."

Then she quickly shoved him back behind the side of the brick wall, motioning for him to be silent. She had caught a glimpse of Pyro and Toad entering the bar.

Cursing to herself, Rogue told the mutant beside her to follow before entering the bar behind the two Brotherhood members. She was easily allowed in with Remy by her side.

The bar was in the center of the room and around it were clusters of people at tables playing an array of gambling games. The room was smoky and the air was thick from the large amount of people inside. At least it would provide a good cover so they could find Ororo and quickly leave.

Suddenly the woman in question appeared beside them and suggested they all return to the jet before the Brotherhood found out they were here. Rogue told Storm to lead Remy to the jet while she took care of something. Storm immediately protested, but Rogue had already disappeared into the crowd. Storm huffed angrily before leaving the bar, Remy following behind her after one glance at where Rogue had disappeared.

Rogue scanned the room, keeping an eye out for any enemies and caught side of the person she was looking for. She immediately weaved her way through the throngs of people and caught his arm.

"Rogue." Pyro gasped, his eyes darting behind her as he instinctively anticipated a fight. After his shock faded, an emotionless mask came over his face. "Where are the rest of Xavier's pawns?"

"Save the bitching for someone else." She snapped her eyes blazing with betrayal. "Do you wanna tell me when the hell you decided to abandon us and join Magneto?"

His eyes hardened as he replied sarcastically "Probably about the time the X-Men decided to let humans control us without a fight."

"But Magneto?" Rogue repeated hoarsely "After everything he did? John, he almost killed me."

A grim, shameful look appeared on the blondes face as he stared at his former friend.

After everything Magneto put her through, he knew his betrayal must have stung her the most. And John knew that she would probably never forgive him, but he couldn't just stand idly by while humans attempted to wipe out the mutant race. He had to make his life mean something. He couldn't just sit in the jet like a child while everyone else was out there fighting. Magneto had given him an offer he couldn't refuse. An offer to live a life worth something, even if people got hurt along the way.

"This is bigger than any of us." The blonde said quietly after a moment of hesitation. "You know that I would never-"

"You saved Logan." Rogue interrupted suddenly "Why?"

Pyro swallowed thickly and hesitated before speaking. "The things they were doing to him…they were horrible. I could hear his screaming from the other side of the building. I couldn't just listen while they-" He trailed off as he noticed the dark look on her face.

Rogue felt her stomach drop at his words and blinked away the moisture that gathered behind her eyelids. She was right in guessing that he had been tortured inhumanely. She had enough of his memories to know that Logan had suffered more than any man should ever have to.

Then Pyro was looking over Rogue's shoulder and cursed under his breath before grabbing her glove covered hand and pulling her to a corner in the dimly lit bar.

"We're out of time. They can't see you here, and god knows which of these people is Mystique." Pyro explained in a rush, his eyes serious as he spoke.

"Mystique is here?" Rogue hissed under her breath, feeling her blood boil in anger at the blue mutant's name.

"Rogue?" Pyro questioned nervously, causing the brunette to realize she had began to float a few inches off the ground.

"Sorry." She said swiftly, landing back on the wooden floor. "I'll leave, but don't think for a second I'm giving up on you John Allerdyce. I'm still waiting for the day you walk back through the school's doors."

Rogue grabbed his shoulders and met his light colored eyes with her darker ones.

A small smile quirked on the corners of his lips. "I wouldn't expect anything else from you."

With one final squeeze of his hands Rogue was gone, and the blonde quickly melted into the crowd to re-join his team, feeling a little shaken and confused after the encounter.

He stood alone amidst the crowds of people more lost than ever. Had he made a mistake?

***

As she walked through the school entryway Rogue growled lowly, pulling her gloved hand away from Remy's, and warned him not to touch her. He simply raised an eyebrow and murmured some French exclamation under his breath. In his eyes Rogue was a challenge he hadn't ever been faced with. She was the mysterious prize at the end of the competition, and Remy never lost. But then again, he had never met a fiercely independent girl like Rogue. Or one that was as ready to kick his ass as she was.

Stomping past Storm she quickly retreated to her room, in desperate need of time alone to contemplate today's events.

With a sigh Storm asked the red-eyed mutant to follow her and the two made their way to Professor Xavier's office.

Jubilation Lee watched the events unfold in the entrance hall from where she sat on the sofa. Her eyes followed the Cajun mutant as he walked beside Storm and her eyes widened in disbelief. Yeah, some new blood was definitely over due. Especially if they looked like that. She smirked to herself and turned back to the TV just in time to watch Sookie deny both Eric and Bill in the latest True Blood episode. Maybe she had found her very own hot Louisiana piece of fine man.

Ignorant to her friend's crazy hormone filled thoughts, Rogue entered her room and threw herself onto the bed in exhaustion, not even bothering to change. From deflecting Remy's obnoxious-and completely ineffective- advances, to confronting Pyro, to enduring Storm's lecture about her dangerous actions, she was in desperate need of quiet time.

Making up her mind to relax, the brunette entered the bathroom and fixed a calming bath with her favorite lilac scented oils. The Professor had taught her to meditate once a day in order to keep better control over Carol Danvers' powers. It wasn't necessary, but it was just as an extra precaution. It was what Jean had to do to retain control over her very erratic and potent powers.

Thinking of the doctor had Rogue's head filled with confusion. Jean had been acting rather strangely as of late. Apparently, she has been late to some classes recently and has been missing danger room sessions with the team. Maybe she's distracted with Logan's sudden reappearance.

Rogue glowered at the thought and unplugged the drain, her relaxation ruined. She threw on her pajama shorts and an old tank top before throwing her long hair into a sloppy braid and exiting the bathroom. As she set her towel on the door hook she felt another presence in the room.

She sniffed lightly and sighed at the familiar scent of pine and cigars. Logan.

She moved and stood by the side of the bed where he had made himself comfortable sprawled out across it. With an unfazed expression, that she was so proud of, Rogue shoved the feral mutant over and lay on top of the covers next to him.

She gave herself a mental high five for controlling her eyes and not allowing them to linger on the man next to her.

"How'd the mission go?"

A beat of silence.

"I saw Joh-I mean Pyro."

Logan had no visible reaction to the statement. She took his silence as an encouragement to continue.

"I just told him that he was being an asshole. And that the door would always be open for him to return."

Logan nodded, lost in thought. "Good. He needed to hear it."

Marie bit her lip nervously before adding "He told me what they did to you."

She felt Logan stiffen beside her and heard his tired exhale. "I wish he hadn't."

Marie turned on her side and stared at Logan until he let his hazel eyes meet hers. "We're friends. Even though we don't act like it sometimes, it's true. And I want to know what you go through…because I want to be there for you. As your friend."

Logan stared at the girl before him in awe. How had he ever gained this girl's trust? What had he ever done to deserve her kindness? It was times like this where he felt shame for his past actions. For all the things he had done to make himself unworthy of this beautiful girl in front of him.

"Believe me, there are a lot more drawbacks to being my friend than there are advantages." He rumbled seriously, his eyes searching hers.

"Well you have saved my life a couple of times." She commented, smiling slightly. "I think that counts for something."

He let out a huff of laughter at her sad attempt at humor. "You have no idea do you? How many times you've saved mine as well?"

Seeing the brunette's confused expression he brushed his hand against hers so lightly that he didn't feel the sting of her mutation. The fact that she couldn't even see his feelings, which he was sure were clear as day, just confirmed to him that she wasn't ready for him. For all of him. Wolverine and all.

"I was thinking we should get outta here tomorrow." He said after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

"Where to?" Marie asked, her big eyes filled with excitement as they followed his trek to the door.

He scoffed jokingly. "To a bar. Where else?"


	6. Who Will Fall?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the cure makes world news, Rogue discovers something about herself and the Phoenix's influence strengthens its control over Jean.

"Who will love you? Who will fight?

And who will fall? Fall Behind."

-Skinny Love Birdy

***

Two weeks later

Children and adults stood gathered around the TV in the main living area of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Katherine Pride sat on the big leather sofa, holding the hands of two young girls sitting on either side of her. She had recently become a teaching assistant and had grown attached to the young children who attended the classes she helped out in. There was something about the admiration and trust in her students eyes that made standing in front of a classroom feel like home to her.

On the other side of the room Rogue was standing off to the side, unnoticed by the others around her. Everything felt surreal to her, as if she was in a dream. For years she had hoped and prayed for an end to her mutation. She had longed for a different life. One where she didn't live in constant fear of hurting those around her. One where she didn't have to distance herself from others, for their safety as well as hers. Now…everything has changed.

As the news channel cut to a commercial break, the room broke out into conversation. There were mixed reactions from everyone. Those like Storm were horrified at what was just revealed to the world. The white haired mutant clenched her fists in outrage, barely holding back her grief and anger. Others eyes shined with newfound hope. One boy who possessed the ability to see at a greater magnitude than others held his breath in anticipation. Because of his unique mutation his eyes took on the appearance of an owl's, a trait that forced him to seek refuge at Xavier's school due to bullying in his hometown. In his eyes, this new invention gave him the possibility of returning home as a normal twelve year old.

With the sensitive hearing she had acquired, courtesy of the Wolverine, Rogue could hear every conversation going on around her.

"Why would anyone want a cure? "

"Maybe I can finally go home…"

"I wonder if it's really permanent…"

"Anyone who takes is cure is a traitor!"

Suddenly feeling caged in, Rogue slipped out of the room, unseen by almost everyone. She made her way to the empty kitchen and sat on one of the barstools, dropping her head into her hands. Was she really being given this choice? Part of her was tempted to run away and take the cure before anyone could stop her. Then she would be free from the burden she had been carrying for almost twenty years. She could live a normal life.

Rogue sat up, emotion so strong swelling up inside of her that she had to work to control her breathing. No. She didn't want a normal life. She didn't want return home to Mississippi and live with the parents who kicked her out when she was only fifteen. She didn't want to lose what her mutation had brought into her life. She had been so caught up in the negatives of her mutation, that she was blind to the gifts it had given her. It had made her grow stronger as an individual. It had led her to this wonderful place where she could fight for what she believed in. It had brought her to Logan. It allowed her to be more than just the average housewife she would have been in Mississippi. Now, she could make a difference.

"Rogue?"

The brunette looked up at her name, tears of relief in her eyes.

Piotr sighed and moved to pull his friend in an embrace. "Are you okay?"

"Slightly better than okay." She replied, her voice as steady as her decision.

The Russian pulled away and moved into the seat next to her. He let his eyes run over Rogue and felt confusion at her reaction. He was sure she would have already left and be halfway to Worthington Labs, the place where the cure was being administered.

"I think I need to get out of here for awhile." Marie said quietly, standing up from her seat. "Just to clear my head."

Piotr sighed in acceptance, knowing it would be of no use to argue, and watched her walk out the front doors of the mansion. He returned to the living room where students and teachers were gathered and sat in a chair next to Bobby. The two made eye contact, their faces grim. Trouble was coming, and they had better figure out what to do about it.

***

Even though everyone's eyes were glued to the television, the room was buzzing with tension and confusion. For now the cure was administered as a choice, but what if the government decided it should be mandatory? They now had a way to wipe out all mutants, everywhere.

The X-Men members got a mental call from Professor Xavier to report to his office. Logan entered the office last, having been on the upper floors in his room when the Professor called them. His amber-hazel eyes swept around the room, lingering on perhaps the only person in the room who irked him more than Scott.

"What's he doing here?" Logan growled, his eyes narrowed at the red-eyed man.

"He may not be a part of the X-Men, but I believe he is of some interest to Magneto, so it would be best if he was kept informed." The Professor explained, his tone allowing no argument.

The feral mutant glared at Gambit, his colored eyes fierce with distrust. In his eyes the man had waltzed in and was allowed way too much freedom. It had barely been two weeks and already they were naïve enough to let him attend team meetings? Resisting the urge to release his claws and threaten some answers from the suspicious Cajun, Logan resolved to keep a close eye on the mutant…especially when he was around Marie.

The professor was silent for a moment before speaking "The students here who are of age should be allowed to take the cure if they wish to. Of course, we won't encourage it, but we must support their decisions. If they are under age and wish to take it, they must receive permission from a parental guardian."

Storm, visibly upset by this decision, turned away from the meeting and stared out the window, lost in thought. She knew the Professor meant well, but what good would come of shooting yourself up with chemicals to alter your identity? In her eyes taking the cure was following the belief that having a mutation was a mistake. That it made a mutant less human.

"Of course I don't expect Magneto to remain silent throughout this, so we should be prepared for anything he plans against the government for distributing the cure."

At Magneto's name, the Wolverine's claws itched to come out.

After everything the metal head had put Marie through just the thought of him made Logan hungry for retribution. Wait. All this cure crap must have Marie confused. What if she does something stupid like try and get cured? The thought of his Marie standing in line to be strapped down to a table and have needles shoved into her soft skin made Logan want to howl in fury. Even if the cure worked and she became touchable…

You an' me both know there are several ways around that skin o' hers the Wolverine growled in his head.

Shaking of the Wolverine's influence, Logan pushed off from the wall and left in the middle of one of Scott's typical rants. Ignoring the man's pointed glare, Logan left the professor's office in search of the girl currently taking up residence in his thoughts. He felt a sense of déjà vu as he failed to find the brunette, and no one seemed to be able to help him. He had a suspicion that she was paying people off to keep her whereabouts a secret.

His thoughts were interrupted when he ran into the Russian. The two men stopped in the hallway when they came face-to-face. Piotr froze in surprise before relaxing, shooting the Wolverine a knowing grin.

"Looking for someone?"

Logan merely turned to look at the younger mutant, his eyes inscrutable, as he quirked a dark eyebrow in question.

Finally, realizing that he might have an answer, Logan grudgingly admitted he was looking for Rogue. He refused to call her Marie in front of the other man, even if he also knew her name.

"You mean Marie?" Piotr clarified, holding back a smile at Logan's clenched teeth and fists. Interesting. "I heard you call her that once and thought it suited her. I figured with you gone someone needed to remind her she was more than a mutant."

Logan flinched at the unspoken accusation and felt shame overwhelm him. Well, at least she hadn't confided in Russian and told him her real name. The damn kid just heard him call Marie by her name and decided to use it…that smug bastard. Even though it really was such an inconsequential thing that people gave out easily, Logan couldn't help but feel like it was their thing. Like him being the only one she gave her name to connected them.

"She left shortly after the news broadcast." Piotr finally said nonchalantly, shrugging as he continued down the hall.

A rumble built up in the Wolverine's chest. He just let her take off at a time like this? What she needed was someone to talk to, not to be left alone with a decision like this thrown in front of her.

"You going after her?" Piotr called over his shoulder, glancing at the older man.

The look on Logan's face answered his question.

"Good." Piotr continued, nodding his head, before turning the corner and disappearing from sight.

Shaking his head, and not even bothering to decipher the Russian's cryptic words, Logan quickly went to the garage and hoped on his bike. Yes, you heard right. His bike. He was sick of Scooter's bitching and took his money from cage matches and bought himself a bike. It wasn't as fancy as Cyke's by any means, but it got the job done.

Without hesitation Logan took off down the driveway, Wolverine's words echoing in his head.

Let's go an' get our girl back.

***

Scott walked down into the medlab, a plate of dinner in his hands for his beloved fiancé. Things had been a little off between them, but he was eager to make things right again. Even if it meant befriending Logan, he thought grudgingly. Truth be told, he knew Logan wasn't a bad person…he just had a knack for being a son of a bitch sometimes. Flirting with Jean. Abandoning everyone whenever he got bored. Dropping everything for selfish reasons. And no one called him on it. That was the part that irked the X-Men leader most. The feral mutant would be gone for weeks, even months, and the Professor would welcome him back like the prodigal son every time.

Scott's thoughts were interrupted when he entered the medlab. It was completely empty.

"Jean, honey?" He called, looking around the room in confusion.

He had already looked for her everywhere else and guessed she would be here helping some student with a scraped knee, or a cold or something.

Then suddenly his blood ran cold at the sight of something on the floor by the Jean's desk. A solitary black notebook with most of its pages ripped out.

Reading the few pages that did remain, Scott shook his head in horror and confusion. The words were a jumble of chaotic thoughts that didn't make any sense. They ranged from angry words scratched out heavily to shakily written pleas for help and an escape. Frantically, Scott grabbed the frightening book and took it to the Professor. Something was gravely wrong with Jean Grey.

**

Logan entered the familiar establishment and let his advanced senses take in everything. He noticed her almost immediately. The brunette was sitting at the bar, her back facing the entrance where he stood. She was slumped into her seat, idly nursing a bottle. He could tell just from looking at her back that she was deep in thought, unaware of the stares she was getting. Well, she was pretty covered up to be in a bar like this. Most chicks came here with one thing in mind, and dressed to put that fact on display. In her skinny jeans and long sleeved t-shirt, Marie looked severely out of place. And yet, he couldn't stop looking at her. Smelling the confliction and sadness that lingered around her, he approached the girl and took the seat next to her, shrugging off his jacket.

"Hey Marie."

Hearing his gruff voice, the brunette grinned slightly and took another drink before answering.

"Logan. Ah shoulda known you'd find me."

Logan was unable to hold back a smile at the sound of her sweet honey accent, brought out by the alcohol no doubt.

"Well, I would have come sooner if I knew they served minors." He replied eyeing the nearly empty bottle next to her, which definitely was not her first round.

She raised an eyebrow at his comment, in a move almost identical to his earlier one. Apparently alcohol also brought out the personalities she held in her head. "With part of you in mah head can ya blame me?"

Smirking at the southern girl's feisty words, he simply shrugged and ordered himself a beer. As they sat in comfortable silence he watched her. She didn't seem distraught…and he took the fact that she hadn't run off to get the cure as a good sign.

"So, been in any good cage fights lately?" She asked suddenly, her dark eyes alight with mischief, mesmerizing him with their depth.

He chuckled lowly and shook his head at the spitfire next to him. "Been kinda busy training the brats lately kid."

"Charles conned you into teachin'? Now that's a sight ah need to see!" She crowed, laughing at the scowl on his face.

Quickly downing the bottle in one go, he turned to face Marie and leaned closer to where she sat with her head thrown back, and her eyes closed in laughter at his expense.

"Ah can just see ya growlin' at all the kids, scarin' the shit outta them." She continued, oblivious to his close proximity.

A smirk curled on the feral's lips as he took in her flushed cheeks and contented scent. He moved so that he was barely a few inches from the female next to him and a rumble moved through his chest. Marie's laughter stopped and she opened her eyes and took in just how close he was to her. She could feel the heat and raw masculinity that radiated from him and forced herself to stand still and not back away in nervousness. Willing her heartbeat to remain steady, she met his gaze and tilted her head to the side questioningly.

"Find somethin' funny darlin'?" He asked lowly, his voice gruff with emotion hidden under the pretense of being upset with her laughter.

"Aw, suggah don't be mad. I'm just tryin' to take mah mind off things for awhile." She explained, effectively dousing the pleasant, joking mood.

Dropping the game, Logan pulled Marie to an unoccupied table in the back away from prying eyes and ears. He waited for her to speak. Marie bit her lip absentmindedly and ran her glove covered hands through her two-toned hair anxiously.

"We're gonna need another round." She finally said, smiling up at her friend from under a curtain of shining hair.

Nodding in agreement, Logan motioned for the waitress and prepared himself for whatever Marie was going to say. Their drinks were quickly placed on the wooden table in front of them and they each took a generous drink before talking.

"Today ah realized somethin'." Marie began, meeting the pair of hazel eyes across from her. "Ah like my life now. Ah've spent so long hatin' my skin and hatin' myself that I never realized how much I have. Ah mean, without mah gift ah would be trapped in that house with those people who never even liked me. Ah was on the road for years lonely, but free. Then ah climbed into the back of your trailer and for some reason you didn't kick me out-" She teased, earning a small chuckle out of the man across from her

" -But now, ah live in a fuckin' giant mansion surrounded by all these amazin' people who can do anythin'! And ah get to be a part of it. And ah can't believe it took until there was a way to escape mah mutation for me to see that I wanted it." She said quietly, staring at her glove covered hands.

A warm feeling growing in his stomach, Logan reached out and took one of Marie's hands in his. "Well then, now seems like a good time to lose these." And he gripped the edge of one soft glove, pulling it off her small hand.

She stared at him in shock and immediately recoiled away, placing the uncovered hand safely in her lap. "What are you crazy?" She hissed angrily. "Just because I accept mah skin, doesn't mean ah want to kill anyone!"

"Do you trust me?"

"Logan -"

"Do. You. Trust. Me?"

"Of course." She sighed warily, watching as he slowly uncovered her other hand.

Just as he removed the gray material her eyes flicked up to meet his. His amber eyes almost glowed under the dim lighting and she felt the overwhelming need to move close enough to decipher every color that swirled in them. Resisting the urge to shove her hands in her jeans pockets, Marie stared at her pale hands where they rested in front of her on the table. The brunette froze as she watched Logan slide his hands across the table and let them rest as close to hers as they could without triggering her mutation. Feeling lightheaded, Marie inhaled deeply, realizing that she had been holding her breath. But she wasn't the only one affected by his actions.

Logan felt his heart pounding in his chest at an impossible rate, unable to look away from her golden brown eyes. He smelt trepidation and disbelief on her, but no fear. It seemed she was shocked by his lack of fear of her skin. He was suddenly irrationally angry that others had made her feel so guilty about her skin that she had to hide under layers and layers of clothes. He wasn't sure how anyone could be so caught up in fearing her skin that they couldn't look past it into the beautiful, tough, incredibly passionate person that she was.

"Wanna get outta here?" He said roughly, nodding towards the exit.

She nodded and walked in front of him, his hand resting lightly on the small of her back.

Out of nowhere, a drunken middle-aged man stumbled into Marie. He looked up angrily, but that quickly changed to lust as his gaze trailed appreciatively over her. Just as she was about to give the perv a knee to the groin, Logan stepped in front of her protectively, growling at the man. He clenched his fists as he felt the tips of his claws slide out, but managed to control the wolverine inside of him howling that he punish this man for touching his Marie. The sandy haired man quickly backed off at the sight of Logan, retreating out of sight in fear. Grabbing her hand, Logan pulled Marie out of the bar, barely keeping a grip on his control over the part of him that demanded for violence.

It was Marie's quiet gasp that brought him out of his anger long enough for him to look down at her. When he followed her line of sight he felt himself inhale sharply, his eyes shooting back up to meet Marie's shining ones. Her hand was still wrapped in his larger one, and he didn't feel the pull of her mutation. A heartbreaking smile broke out across her face, and Logan pulled her into his arms, twirling her around in the snowy parking lot where they stood. Her joyous laughter rang out into the night.


	7. Chapter 7

Patrons of the bar stared at the scene that played out before them. A young woman with unique silver streaked hair was locked in the embrace of an older, rough looking man. The bystanders would have stepped in if it weren't for the bright smile on her face. Shrugging, the customers continued inside, the couple from the parking lot already forgotten.

Marie watched enraptured as Logan's tanned, larger hand engulfed one of her smaller ones. Just a few hours ago she had resolved not to get the cure and had accepted that she would never touch anyone without a barrier in between. That she would always have to carry a pair of gloves with her. That her next kiss would have to be through a scarf. But tonight Logan was able to touch her without her mutation affecting him. When this happened a few weeks ago back in her bedroom after Logan had just healed, she thought it was just a fluke. That maybe Logan was too weak for her to absorb his strength, or that those bullets somehow blocked her mutation. But tonight proved that controlling her skin was possible.

Marie suggested they go back to the mansion and figure out what was happening with her mutation. She was afraid to be happy if this was only temporary. Logan agreed that they should return and talk with the Professor. After admitting to have flown to the bar, Marie found herself standing in front of Logan's bike.

"Finally got your own?" She commented, earning a chuckle from behind her. "It's nice."

His green-gold eyes lit up at her words, and a wry grin tugged at his lips. "Well then hop on."

"Only on one condition." Marie insisted, ignoring his eye-roll. "I get to drive."

Logan stared at her, his eyes wide. "You want to drive my bike?"

"Hell yeah!" The brunette crowed, eyeing Logan hopefully. "Come on, you'll be right behind me the whole time."

That seemed to do the trick, because the feral mutant warily agreed before motioning for her to sit in front of him.  _Oh this was gonna be interestin'_  Rogue thought wickedly, sliding into her spot. His chest was flush against her back. Accessing her inner-Wolverine would give her everything she needed to know to drive.

Then Logan was giving instructions in her ear. "The first thing you do is turn on the fuel-"

Ignoring his words, she expertly started the bike and after shifting to first gear they were speeding down the road. From the sudden silence behind her, Marie was sure he was shocked at her knowledge on how to drive. Smirking triumphantly, she drawled "Thanks for the lesson sugar." Tapping her temple with one hand.

As the explanation for her knowing how to handle a bike dawned on him, Marie felt a rumbling chuckle go through his chest. He said something she couldn't hear over the wind, so she merely laughed and pushed the bike faster, closer to their destination.

Since there were now two separate incidents where he was able to touch Marie's skin without her mutation, Logan decided it was time they spoke with the Professor. He had hope that since the Professor had helped Jean control her ability, he would be able to help Marie as well.

Ignoring Jubliee, who raised her eyebrows at the sight of the Wolverine pulling a shell-shocked Rogue through the mansion, Logan entered Professor Xavier's office without knocking. Rogue's eyes widened at the expressions of the two men who stood in the office, seemingly deep in conversation before she and Logan entered. She hesitated, wanting to come back later. But Logan only shot her a glance before practically dragging her into the room and kicking the door shut with his foot.

Scott Summers stared at Logan in disbelief, the emotion obvious on his face even without his eyes being visible.

"You! You're here!" Scott said in shock, staring at the feral mutant.

"Good observation Scooter. Nice to know those glasses don't completely block your vision." He replied sarcastically, not one to pass by an opportunity to poke fun at the other man.

Rogue knew something definitely was up when Scott didn't even bother to return barbs with Logan.

"I thought you left." Scott stated, his face suddenly tense.

"Why would I-"

"Jean's gone."

Rogue felt her face go blank, void of all emotion. Scott thought Jean had run off with Logan. Of course if Jean and Logan are both absent from the mansion the first conclusion is that they must have run off to have a torrid affair. I mean, he couldn't  _possibly_  be out with her when Jean was available, right?

The room lapsed into a beat on silence. "What? Jeannie's gone? What the hell happened?"

Just because he lost interest in getting into her pants, didn't mean Logan wanted the telepathic doctor to leave. He didn't think she was a bad person, even if she was acting a little strange lately. After chasing Red for two years Logan finally realized there was no point. At first it was fun to flirt with her to mess with Cyke, but now it was getting old. Now his thoughts were too filled with a certain brunette to be able to spare Jean any attention.

"We don't know." The Professor said calmly, worry in his blue eyes. "This was left in the medlab." He set the notebook on the desk.

As Logan quickly glanced through the notebook, Marie felt her stomach drop. Suddenly, she felt sick. She didn't belong here worrying about Jean. She spent half her time here being insanely jealous of the woman and the other half resenting her for having everything Rogue didn't. Useful powers, undeniable beauty, a family, and the attention of two amazing men.

"What are we going to do?"

"I tried using Cerebro to find her, but I failed. It turns out Jean's even more powerful than I thought." The professor paused before admitting. "I'm afraid her powers may have overwhelmed her. I believe Jean harbors a separate entity in her mind called Phoenix. In order for her to gain control of her powers I had to put walls up in her mind to prevent the Phoenix from influencing her. Unfortunately, I fear the Phoenix has broken through the mental barriers and his now running rampant in Jeans consciousness."

"What does this mean?" Scott asked quietly.

"Jean is no longer the person we know. There is a possibility that the Phoenix has slowly wormed its way through her mind and is now in full control of her."

Scott's choked sob tore at Marie's heart. Seeing as Logan was standing awkwardly to the side and the Professor was stuck on the other side of the desk, Marie felt the need to comfort him. She moved forward and placed her hand lightly on the distraught man's shoulder. Thank god she had slipped her gloves back on before she entered the mansion. Scott exhaled a shaky sigh and placed his hand over the one Marie placed on his shoulder, squeezing it in gratefulness.

"I'm going to get in touch with my contacts around the world and make them aware of Jean's disappearance. If anyone hears anything about her location they will let me know and we can take the jet out as soon as we have the coordinates." The Professor continued, watching Scott and Rogue's exchange with compassion.

"I can't just sit by and wait for a phone call." Scott said calmly. "I'm going to go out and look for her. Someone's got to have an idea where she is."

As if expecting this, the Professor nodded warily before warning Scott of the Phoenix's power and deceitfulness. After Scott left the Professor turned to the two remaining in his office.

"Did you need something?" The Professor asked kindly, his face betraying none of the stress he felt.

Marie hesitated. Now was not a good time to bring up her mutation. Right now the Professor just needed to focus on finding Jean. After Jean was recovered, then she would speak to him about helping her gain control of her skin. Until then, she was just going to wait.

"I just wanted to say that…I'll be late for training tomorrow. Personal stuff." She answered quickly, ignoring the sharp look Logan sent her.

Marie knew he would be pissed at her for not saying anything, but honestly she knew this was the right thing to do. Logan would just have to deal with her decision and realize that he wasn't going to change her mind.

"Okay. Not a problem. Actually, if you two will excuse me I have some business to attend to." He said politely, dismissing them from the office. As Professor Xavier made a long distance phone call to Paris, Marie and Logan had a conversation in the hallway.

"Hey I'll catch you later; I'm in desperate need of sleep." Marie said offhandedly, turning to leave.

"Hold on there just a minute Marie." Logan growled, grabbing her arm and turning her back to face him.

The brunette whirled around in exasperation. "What Logan? I'm tired and frustrated and I just need to curl up in bed and sleep awhile, okay?"

"What was that in there?" He hissed, his eyes fierce.

Pulling herself out of his grasp, she stared at him knowingly. "What are you talkin' about?"

"Why didn't you tell him?"

Marie sighed in exasperation. "I don't know Logan. I guess I realized that you have to choose your battles."

"What does that mean?" He growled, his anger not lessening.

"It means that finding Jean is more important."

"…You really think you're less important than Jean?" He stated, his dark eyes demanding answers.

Marie met Logan's eyes, confused by his strong reaction. "Logan, I don't have any misconceptions about myself. I know I'm a damn good fighter, but frankly Jean does so much more for this school. I mean, she's an asset to the team, a teacher, has a fiancée who frankly I don't think could survive without her, and-"

"You have no clue, do you?" He interrupted, shaking his head at the brunette next to him.

"What are you going on about? Why does it even matter to you? You don't have to keep your promise anymore Logan! I'm not the same defenseless child you picked up off the side of the road!" Marie blurted out, her temper rising to match his. The inner wolverine inside of her paced angrily, growling inarticulately.

"You think this is out of obligation? Sweetheart let me let you in on a little secret-" Logan growled lowly, stepping closer to Marie so that he towered over her. She forced herself to remain still as he invaded her space, his chest brushing hers. "The Wolverine doesn't do anything he doesn't want to."

All the chaos in her head and outside of it was giving Marie a headache. Magneto was stirring from his place inside her mind, telling her to twist Logan's pretty adamantium skeleton so he'd quiet down. Her inner Carol whispered about hidden feelings and that the Wolverine sure looked sexy when he was pissed off.

Running a hand haphazardly through her thick hair, Marie sighed tiredly. "I know. I'm sorry. Look, you can go look for Jean now. I'll be fine here, honestly. I know you need to go find her, and I don't want to stand in your way."

Logan stared at Marie motionless before letting out a bark of laughter and saying hoarsely "God damn, Marie. You're gonna kill me one day."

Smiling sadly, Marie pulled her sleeve over her hand and brushed it across his cheek before turning and disappearing up the stairs. She quietly changed and slipped into her bed, holding her emotions inside of her. Years of practice had left her great at compartmentalizing her feelings. She had known that she needed to free Logan of the obligation of protecting her. She would never have forgiven herself if they didn't find Jean and Logan lost the woman he loved. Even if Jean wasn't even his, Marie knew it didn't change the fact that Logan truly cared for the missing doctor.

Back downstairs, Logan unsheathed the sharp adamantium from his hands, relishing in the sting of pain it brought. He didn't even flinch at the familiar feeling now. Resolutely, he stalked towards the danger room, scaring students out of the hallways. He was so damn angry at himself. For not being good enough for Marie. For not deserving to feel the way he felt about her. In the middle of their fight all he wanted to do was pull her against him and let her feel how affected he was by her presence. How much he ached for her to be his. Guilt overwhelmed him at his thoughts. It wasn't her age that kept him from claiming her as his; he saw clearly that she wasn't the same helpless kid he found in the snow that day. It was her innocence. He was a weapon. He was created into an animal that cheated death and couldn't be stopped. A killing machine. Just the few years of memories he had made him certain that Marie shouldn't have anything to do with a bastard like him. The thought of not knowing what other atrocities he committed shook him to his core. Marie deserved better than him. It was as simple as that.

With that last thought, he programmed the most advanced danger room stimulation and allowed Wolverine to take control. The feeling of slashing his claws through Mystique felt unbelievably gratifying.

* * *

 

Scott Summers stared out over the natural lake that students often visited during the summer. It was only half a mile from the school, and was secluded during winter. Staring out at the stagnant water, Scott reminisced about the time he brought his fiancée there. At the time she was only his girlfriend, and they were much younger; but it was that day when he realized that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He idly skipped a stone across the water, thinking about where Jean could possibly be.

Then, the lake trembled. Scott backed up a step just as a jet of water shot into the air. He raised his hand to his glasses, only to drop his arm at what he saw in the center of the sphere of water. The figure of a woman.

"Jean." He breathed, wading into the lake and diving into the whirl of water. He struggled through the current, the lack of oxygen causing his lungs to burn. Then suddenly she was standing in front of him. Smiling. Her arms outstretched. Happiness overwhelming him, Scott reached forward for one of her hands. Then she was in his arms. He stared at her, brushing her dripping red hair back from her face. He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead and then her lips. They stayed locked together until she suddenly became frantic and almost violent. He pulled back and saw something was terribly wrong. Her eyes turned a frightening white color. This wasn't his fiancée. A sinister sneer crawled across her face, washing away the look of love and joy she had worn previously.

"Jean?" He choked out, feeling a gush of water rush into his lungs. He felt his red-tinted glasses get knocked off his face.

Then everything was dark.

* * *

 

The Professor started in pain and alarm, telepathically calling out for Wolverine and Storm. He sensed Scott was in danger at the lake. Not bothering to suit up, the two X-Men members quickly arrived at the lake. The water was deceptively calm, and at the center of it…floated a body. Knowing that if he tried to play lifeguard his adamantium skeleton would cause him to sink like a rock, Logan glanced at Ororo, hoping that the mocha skinned woman knew how to swim.

With a frightened gasp, Storm dove into the water and quickly pulled her friend back to shore. She quickly administered CPR, relieved when a stream of water left the other woman's mouth before her eyes rolled back and she fell unconscious again.

"We need to get her back to Xavier." Logan said as he picked the soaked doctor off the ground.

"What about Scott?"

"I can't smell him." Logan replied gruffly, starting towards the mansion with Ororo following right behind him.

"But-"

"He's not here 'Ro." He re-iterated, not breaking stride. "Feel free to check for yourself, but I didn't sense him."

Defeated, the white haired mutant sent Xavier a mental warning that they found Jean, but Scott wasn't there. The Professor reassured her that Scott would be fine, and asked her that Jean be put in the med lab. Then all they could do was wait until she woke up. Then they could see who was in charge: Jean or the Phoenix.


	8. Chapter 8

"But chere-"

"I swear if you call me chere one more time, I'll take that stupid staff you carry around and shove it- oh hi Storm." Marie broke off, thanking the weather goddess for the interruption.

At first Remy's attention to her was amusing. He was so over the top and corny, throwing French words around like it would make every girl immediately jump into bed with him. Yeah, well not this girl. She preferred hazel eyes and claws…but that was just her personal opinion. Speaking of Logan, Gambit didn't seem to be his favorite person either. Every time the two alpha males were near each other, Logan practically radiated fury and aggravation. Marie was seriously starting to worry for Gambit's life if he flirted with her in front of Logan one more time. But then again, maybe his death wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. Then at least she could have dinner without being harassed by his lame attempts at wooing the pants off her.

"Good evening Rogue." The white haired woman smiled knowingly, sharing in Rogue's exasperation. It seemed the two of them were the only women immune to the Cajun's charms. Even Jubilee was walking around with cartoon hearts in her eyes. "Would you perhaps want to go-"

"Yes!" The brunette interrupted eagerly. "I would love to!"

"-assist me in my garden." Storm finished, holding back a laugh at the injured look on Remy's face. It quickly disappeared and was replaced with his usual smarmy facial expression.

"You know what they say. Absence makes the heart grow fonder m'amie." The incorrigible mutant commented, shooting Rogue a wink as he walked away. Just as Gambit left, a certain feral mutant entered the hallway where Rogue and Storm stood. He sniffed the air, before turning and glaring at Remy's turned back.

"Gumbo botherin' you again?" He growled, the metal in his arms itching to be released. 

Laughing lightly at Logan's nickname for the guy, Rogue shrugged noncommittally. "He'll give up eventually. With him it's all about the chase. And what's more unattainable than a girl with poison skin?" 

Grunting in response, Logan turned and faced the two women. "Still, I'd love to gut the sucker."

"Well I think if ya did that, there'd be more than a few angry women pounding on your door." Rogue commented wryly. Seriously, it was sad what a little accent would do to almost the entire female population.

"Darlin' that would not be anythin' new to me."

Rolling her eyes at his comment, Rogue turned to face Storm who had been silently observing this whole exchange. "Ready to go?"

"Sure thing. Meet me out there whenever you're done here." Storm replied, eyeing Logan and Rogue, knowing their conversation was not over.

As Ororo Munroe went outside, Logan turned to Marie with a serious expression adorning his face. He was worried about her. Suddenly, her mutation had vanished and she had decided to keep it a secret. Also, without her mutation she would have no way to defend herself. He wasn't denying that she was great at hand-to-hand combat, but her abilities are what made her almost unstoppable. But if Logan was honest with himself, his greatest fear wasn't that she'd be taken from him during battle. It was that she would be taken from him by another man. As soon as everyone found out that his Marie was touchable, there would be a line of ready males at her door. He saw her close relationship with the Russian, how the Cajun practically drooled over her, and what about the Icecube? The last time he checked Marie was still in a relationship with that boyscout Bobby Drake.

"You gonna tell the Popsicle?" His asked without thinking, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Why would I?" She returned, mirroring his stance.

"Aren't you two…you know"

"Hell no! That boy is like a brother to me." Rogue interrupted, missing the flash of pleasure in the hazel eyes watching her. "A lot changed while you were gone."

Following instinct, Logan brushed a lock of hair from Marie's face, his voice gruff when he apologized for him absence. Waving his apology off Marie caught his hand in hers. "You're back now. That's all that matters."

Hazel met golden brown as the air between the two seemed to hum with energy. Pressing her lips briefly to the knuckles on his hand, where his adamantium claws were hidden, Marie turned and followed Ororo's earlier path. She needed some time to process her thoughts. Logan stared after the girl he'd sacrificed his life for multiple times, still feeling the press of her soft lips against his hand. That girl knew him better than anyone. Probably even better than he knew himself. When he first saw her sitting in that run-down bar he didn't pay her much attention; figuring her story was that of a typical teenage runaway. Then she warned him about the knife, believing she was saving a fellow mutants life. Back then he denied the fact that she saved his life; he was invincible right? But only now did he realize how wrong he was in that conclusion. She had saved him, just not in the way he first thought. Marie had come to him in a low period of his life and lifted him up again. She was a beacon of pure light in his dark world.

It was only after he happened to glance in his rearview mirror, seeing her standing in the snow alone, that he realized he couldn't leave her behind. He'd never told her this but when he first woke up in the med lab with Jean's cold doctor hands practically feeling him up, his first instinct was to grab the kid and get the hell out of the mansion. Without even knowing her that well, he saw it as them against the world. He had been on the way to his cabin in Alberta when Marie hid in his camper. And he was planning to offer her a place to stay there; with him. It wasn't until he saw how well she fit in at the school that he realized just how young she was; just how much she needed this environment. Vowing to protect her if it killed him, he walked down to the med lab. It was his shift to watch over Jean.

 

* * *

 

A slight movement from the sleeping woman next to him brought Logan out of his reverie. Mentally shaking the encounter with Marie from his thoughts, his hazel eyes flicked to her. His sensitive hearing picked up a change in her heart rate. She was waking. In an almost graceful move, the unstable woman opened her eyes with a small gasp. Her eyes met a pair of hazel ones watching her from where he sat next to her bed. Jean sat up, her red hair swinging over one shoulder in a purposefully seductive move. She leaned her weight back on one hand, staring at the man who remained seated. Brushing imaginary wrinkles from her black tank top and skirt, the older woman leaned forward as if waiting for something from him. Refusing to be the first one to speak, Logan lounged lazily in his chair, observing. Wheels had asked that people took turns watching over the good doctor until she awoke. The Professor hadn't wanted her to wake up alone just in case it really was Jean in control. And it looks like he was the lucky one who got to be here…great.

With a coy smile the red-head stood from the bed and approached Logan where he sat, her skirt swishing around her knees. She came to a stop directly in front of him, ignoring the eyebrow he quirked in question to her strange actions. In a move that shocked the flannel-clad mutant, Jean slid into his lap and dug her obscenely long, red nails into his biceps. 

"What're you doing?"

Disregarding his question, Jean dragged her nails down his arms, breaking through the skin and leaving angry lines of blood. Hissing at the pain her actions brought, Logan grabbed her rather large hands in his, glaring at the woman who sat on his lap.

"I think it's about time you got the fuck off." He growled, eyes blazing in annoyance.

For years, years, he had chased Jeannie and not once did she ever fully give in to his advances. Quickly, he realized she was just a merciless tease and liked the attention his interest gave her. Whoever this person was, it was not Jean Grey. It looked like her, smelt like her, but it definitely was not her. He knew Jean would never betray Scott, no matter how attention-seeking she was. She may have been a little self-consumed, but she wasn't a cheater. 

Her smirk never faltering, the bold woman leaned forward and to capture him in a voracious kiss. Logan froze under her actions, before standing and unceremoniously dumping her onto the cold tiled floor. He growled warningly at the figure on the ground, wiping her lipstick and taste from his mouth as he turned towards the door. With his back turned, he missed the sneer that crossed her face as her eyes glowed a startling white color. He sensed the chair just as it neared him. Turning just in time, he unsheathed his claws, slashing the chair to pieces before it made contact with him.

"So it's gonna be like that, huh Red?" He taunted, flexing his fingers.

He dodged the huge metal desk she sent flying his way, twisting around just in time to see her take flight, busting straight through the wall. Cursing under his breath, he darted through the Jean-shaped hole and watched her grow smaller in the distance. While Logan was looking up he heard movement from on the roof. It was Marie. She glanced down at him before looking back up resolutely, her eyes on the quickly disappearing Jean Grey.

"Don't even fuckin' think about it Marie!" He roared, instinctively knowing what she was planning without her having to voice it.

The brunette took a deep breath, knowing what she had to do. She reached deep into her mind, pulling up Carol. Come on, come on. She begged, knowing that now was a good time for her powers to re-appear. She had to go after Phoenix. She was the only one who had a chance of keeping up with the malevolent entity. She closed her eyes and concentrated on flying. Why isn't this working? Rogue felt like screaming at her failure to activate her mutation. When she lost her deadly skin, it seems the abilities she had gained went with it. The irony of this moment was not lost on Rogue. The one time she actually wanted her mutation, it disappeared on her. When a crazy metal-wielding old bat wanted to put her in a machine and kill her for her mutation, of course it worked! When she wants to save an innocent person…not so much. She returned to her perch against the chimney on the roof, feeling more helpless than ever.

Down below Logan watched the forlorn and almost betrayed look that overcame Marie's face when her abilities didn't return. He knew he should talk to her, but he needed to do something first. Logan stormed up to Xavier's office, intent on telling the old man that his star pupil had destroyed the medlab and ran away…again. This time almost taking his Marie with her.

* * *

 

Erik Lehnsherr watched the news broadcast in disgust as the Friends of Humanity radicals preached about fairness and justice. About how mutants were just that…mutations. Mistakes. Needed to be eradicated…or cured. This so called cure was a disgrace. The humans were just afraid and hid behind words like equality to justify the invention of the cure. Now, there were rumors that it was being made into artillery. Magneto had no doubt that pretty soon it would be loaded into weaponry and shot at mutants, whether they were a threat or not. Perhaps they would even find ways to aerosolize it and would be able to distribute it in mass quantities. Possibly to even whole cities at a time. The whole situation was reminiscent of another dark time in his life. Except this time, he would fight back. This was why he and Charles would never see eye to eye. His old friend would rather idly sit by while humans took the mutant race out instead of fighting back. He didn't share Erik's own belief that there had to be sacrifices before the war could be won.

A heavily tattooed and pierced woman entered the room. He continued to stare at the television while he greeted her.

"Callisto. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I've sensed a powerful mutant in Annandale-On-Hudson"

"Well, this one better be even more powerful than the one you sensed in New Orleans. Especially after my men failed to find him."

"If it's who I think it is then you won't be disappointed."

"…I'm listening."

"I have word that a certain old friend of yours lost his most powerful secret weapon."

"Alert everyone. We leave tonight."

 Callisto nodded in assent and left the contemplative man to his thoughts. Magneto placed his telepath-proof helmet on his head, his cold blue eyes alight with something akin to hope. With a weapon like Jean Grey he was sure to be victorious in his quest to save mutant kind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the delay in posting this chapter! The tedium of real life got in the way. But the next chapter is already written and will be up soon :)


	9. Chapter 9

Professor Xavier, Storm, and Wolverine drove up to a quaint house in the suburbs. They parked the- surprisingly average for someone who also owns a jet-car next to a worn green mailbox that had writing on the side. 1769 Grey. Logan got out of the car, surveying the neighborhood. There were people walking their dogs, children playing outside, a family having a barbeque. This is what Jean would have had if she lived a normal life. His thoughts flashed to a certain southern girl in that instant. Back in Mississippi…did she have a home like this? Did she grow up in a neighborhood like this, only to have it ripped away from her? It was moments like these when he wished he knew more about Marie. Sure, they watched hockey Sunday nights, shared a few late night beers, and trained in the danger room almost every day…but it seemed the more he got to know the brunette, the more he wanted to know. He knows she likes to listen to her music loud enough to block out everything. He knows that, like him, she takes her coffee black. He knows that the only movies that make her cry are when the dog dies. He knows the real reason she hasn't told anyone about her mutation disappearing is that she was afraid. Afraid that she would get used to human contact, only to have it be taken from her again. Despite all this, he felt like Marie could slip away from him at any moment. She had his memories in her head, but it seemed that she was still as mysterious to him as when they first met.

"I need to speak with Jean alone." The Professor spoke to the two oldest remaining team members.

"I don't think that's going to be possible." Eric Lehnsherr replied, approaching the three X-Men from where he stood on the Grey's front lawn. Behind the metal-wielding mutant stood four other Brotherhood members that Logan didn't recognize. Probably new recruits. One was a larger, rough looking man who stood at almost seven feet. Another was a woman with black tattoos and piercings all over her skin. The third man had spikes protruding from his arms and face. Porcupine The Wolverine scoffed inwardly.

The Professor stared at the German man, his face unreadable. "Jean is not well. She needs help."

"Funny, you sound just like her parents." Magneto commented wryly before turning to face Logan. "I see you're recovering well. That healing must come in handy." The elder man said nonchalantly, causing the feral to clench his fists to control the adamantium from escaping his knuckles. "You see it was nothing personal, just returning a favor for a former friend."

"I still have a favor of my own to return." Logan growled, his thoughts on Marie.

"Ah the young, untouchable girl. I'm so glad she survived. It would be a shame to waste such talent. Be sure to let her know there's always a spot in the Brotherhood for her."

Logan stared at Magneto, hatred coursing through his veins. First he tried to kill Marie. Then the old bastard tortured him within an inch of his life and expected him to do nothing?

"Now, Eric we aren't here to fight. We've come to bring Jean back with us." The Professor interrupted, moving towards the house.

"You and I both know that Jean Grey is not the person in that house." Magneto replied knowingly. Then to his followers, "Don't let anyone inside."

Then the two influential men entered the house. Using his power to turn the metal doorknob, Eric and Charles gained access to the former residence of Jean Grey. The Professor wheeled through the door, the other man following closely behind him. The front door clicked behind them as it shut, the faint thud seeming to convey a sense of finality; as if there was no going back from this point. All was silent. Eerily quiet, with the feeling of chaos brewing just under the surface. Even though the inside of the house was pristine it was clear that Jean was inside somewhere. As they ventured through the rooms it was impossible to ignore the signs of the Phoenix's presence. Pictures on the walls rattled and shook unsteadily. The lights that hung from the ceiling swung dangerously. Flames licked up from the stove, searching for something to burn. Then they found her.

"Jean." The Professor said, shocked at the state his first student was in. The furniture in the room was levitating unstably, threatening to fall over at any given moment. The air seemed to vibrate with un-restrained power. The red head was sitting stiffly in a chair, as if waiting for their arrival.

"I knew you were coming."

"I've come to take you home." The Professor answered, moving farther into the room. Seeing her in this state really hurt him. He had tried to save her by locking the Phoenix up, but all it seemed to do was anger the entity. Phoenix had remained dormant in Jean's mind, just waiting for a weak moment when it could re-emerge; stronger than before.

"He thinks you can't control your powers." Magneto announced, addressing the unpredictable woman before turning to the other man. "I don't think your mind games are going to work anymore, Charles."

Jean turned to the Professor, "You want to control me."

"No, that is not my intention." Professor Xavier stressed, growing frustrated with Eric's manipulation. "I want to help you.

"Help me?" The doctor repeated her voice emotionless and surprisingly monotone. "What's wrong with me?"

"Absolutely nothing." Eric replied, much to the Professor's ire. "He's always tried to limit you."

Suddenly, a lamp flew across the room and smashed into the wall. "Stay out of my head." The red head warned sternly, her eyes wet with angry tears. All the doors in the house slammed shut, enclosing the three mutants inside the house. The Professor wheeled closer to his former student, pleading with her to listen. In a trance, the red-head stared resolutely at the floor, unwilling to meet the elder man's eyes.

"Get away from me!" Jean shrieked, sending the Professor flying back across the room, the wheels on his chair screeching in protest.Then, Jean and Professor Xavier were locked in a stare down. Her dark eyes met his unwaveringly, her mind shielded from him by the Phoenix's power.

"Let me in." The professor said calmly, wind rushing around the room and sending papers flying everywhere. Magneto watched the scene play out before him, forced against the wall by the Phoenix's influence. Veins appeared on the woman's face, standing out against her lightly tanned skin. The Professor was lifted into the air, held aloft against his will. His eyes narrowed in concentration, attempting to find an opening in the wall the Phoenix constructed in Jean's mind. As the old man stared at his beloved friend, his heart was saddened. He couldn't help but feel partly responsible for the state uncontrollable state she was in. Then she stood, her flaming locks flying back from her face forming a devilish halo. The black of her pupils dilated to completely cover the white. Her purplish veins protruded chillingly from her skin, making her appearance even more lethal and inhuman than before. The house was lifted into the air as the Professor began to disintegrate before Eric's very eyes. Colored eyes became wet as he watched his old friend disintegrate into nothing.

"Charles!" Magneto called, just as the man exploded into nothingness. Then the disarray ended.

Stumbling up from where he had been crouched against the wall, he wrapped an arm around the disoriented Jean."Come my dear."

Logan and Storm entered the house, having incapacitated the four members of the Brotherhood blocking their entrance. With a muttered curse, Logan kicked the unconscious seven foot man whom he had just thrown through a wall and successfully knocked out cold. Catching sight of the empty wheelchair sitting in the middle of the dilapidated room, the feral mutant froze. Storm approached from behind him, releasing a startled gasp at the unexpected sight. With a choked sound, Logan dropped onto his knees on the floor, unable to vocalize his thoughts. Storm placed a hand on his shoulder, tears trailing down her cheeks as she sobbed.

The professor was gone.

 

* * *

Rogue didn't think she had ever seen the garden at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters so crowded with people. The sea of black, sitting somberly in their seats, seemed strangely out of place in the colorful, flower fragranced garden. After Logan and Storm had returned to the mansion and broke the news to the school, the universe seemed to have turned upside down. Scott was gone. Jean was gone. And now the Professor was gone. Subconsciously, Marie realized that the only two remaining members of the original X-Men were Logan and Ororo. Pulling the black hood to her jacket to cover her face, a lone tear slipped down her face. What was happening to the world? How was it right that three good people were gone? Wiped off the face of the earth forever.

Glancing to her far left, Marie caught sight of a figure standing in the back separate from everyone else. Logan. Dressed in his accustomed worn jeans and open button-down shirt over a wife-beater, he looked lost in thought. Probably wondering if he could have done more to help save the Professor two days ago. He had returned from the disastrous mission with Storm two days ago in a rage.

He had stormed to his room without a word to anyone, slamming the door shut behind him. While this action kept everyone away, it only solidified Marie in her decision to talk to him. She had quietly opened the door and slipped inside, shutting it behind her. She found her friend standing out on the balcony, his hands gripping the railing painfully tight. She stood next to him, her shoulder brushing against his. They stood in silence for an immeasurable amount of time, before he grumbled at her to leave and pulled away. With a sigh the brunette followed him in quiet refusal, sitting on the corner of his bed as he popped open a beer. He had set the untouched, open can on his TV and turned so his tensed back was facing her. He had growled empty threats, warning her to leave before he did something he would regret. Unfazed, Marie approached him and wrapped her arms around his middle, resting her head against the middle of his back. This action caused her to realize just how small she was compared to him. Just how much damage he could do if he wanted to. But he never would. She knew without a doubt that Logan would kill himself before hurting her…physically at least. He was most likely completely unaware of the fact that her heart had taken multiple beatings on his behalf. Slowly, the persistent girl felt the tension leave his form, his shoulders dropping in defeat. She held him closer, and brushed her lips against his covered back in a move that was meant to be purely comforting. Then he was un-wrapping her arms from around him and pulling her with him to sit on his bed. Logan's head dropped into his hands, and he felt a dip in the mattress as Marie took a seat next to him. She waited patiently for him to speak.

"She wasn't Jeannie." Marie froze, forcing herself to not show a visible reaction to his words. "I caught a glimpse of her before she followed Magneto. She…she wasn't herself." He looked up. "She killed the Professor."

Marie bit her lip, holding in the questions that were building up in her mind. How did she defeat him? Why would she do that? How on earth are we going to get her back now? "We'll get her back Logan." The brunette whispered reassuringly, trying her best to comfort her distraught friend.

He nodded absentmindedly. Marie stood and brought the untouched can of beer to him, offering it wordlessly.

"Actually, I just want to be alone now." He said offhandedly, brushing away her offer.

Marie felt something tighten in her chest as she nodded understandingly and left the room, taking the can with her. He may not need a drink, but after all this she sure did. Marie had found herself up on the roof alone, escaping from the overwhelming feeling of despair that smothered her inside the mansion, like smoke would in a house fire.

Then her ears had caught the rare sound of breathless laughter, and she sought the source of the sound. She watched the couple on the iced over fountain embrace each other closely, their breath visible in the cold air Bobby had created with his ability. Her throat closed up and she felt unable to breathe as she watched Bobby and Kitty twirl carelessly around on the ice, lost in their own private world. That's what Marie wanted desperately more than anything. Not Bobby, but human relationships.

She wanted to be able to skate around on the ice, supported by another's hand. She wanted to go to slumber parties and participate in the makeovers Jubilee was always giving everyone else. She wanted to be able to go get her haircut, and not have to do it herself, locked in her bathroom alone. With a shaky sigh, the wistful girl left the dark sky behind her and re-entered her room. She had to find something to wear for the Professor's funeral in two days. Then, she was going to talk to Storm. It was time the X-Men stopped playing defense.


End file.
